


New Kingdom, New Flame

by stuffedcookie



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game), Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/F, Humor, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-08-10 17:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuffedcookie/pseuds/stuffedcookie
Summary: It had been three months since the Super Smash Brothers Tournament, and Peach had gone back to the daily grind of running her kingdom. Samus was busy with bounty hunting, and not once had Bowser attempted a kidnapping. However, two unexpected guests appear in her kingdom, one, a bug creature who she tends to, the other, a nightmare figure who has his eyes set for Peach's kingdom.





	1. Peace is Broken

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is very short but the next few hopefully won't be. This is also a sequel to my other story "A New Challenger" so if you want more context you might want to read that first, but I'll write this in a way that doesn't alienate new readers. 
> 
> Enjoy.

The Mushroom Kingdom, a place of peace, love and a place were bricks float for no reason. That is one of the many ways people described the Mushroom Kingdom. It was odd and weird, but it also held home to many nice and friendly people. Sure, Bowser’s soldiers roamed around, and the monster could be bothersome, but that never stopped the people from loving their home.

One of the best examples of this was Toad. Toad was a textbook definition of simple, but lovable. He loved talking to people and making their day a good one. But for today, he just wanted to relax and enjoy fishing on his own on a river near Peach’s castle.

Toad loved the quiet stream since it was behind Peach’s castle none of the townsfolk went here. And since Toad was one of Peach’s close friends he could fish as he pleased.

Toad took in a deep breath and released it. It had been a crazy year, Bowser taking over Peach’s castle, Peach nearly dying at the Smash Brothers Tournament, and apparently, these “red flames” were popping up over the Kingdom. And not just here but in other Kingdoms as well. The pressure was mostly on Peach, but Toad still took part in it and it could be exhausting.

Regardless he wasn’t going to let it get to him, he was here to fish and that was it. No drama, no near-death experience and no new creatures that made him question the universe he lived in.

Just fishing.

Nothing more.

… He then saw a body floating in the river.

When Toad looked to his left, he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. When the body came closer Toad got a clearer look of what he was looking at. Whoever this was, they had a bug -like-body, with long black arms and legs. They had a mask covering their face and grey-blue cloak covering the rest of their head.

Toad started to panic, he had to save him quickly before any boss basses swallowed them. He? Her? He wasn’t sure it was hard to tell. Toad dropped his fishing rod on the dock and jumped in the river. He quickly grabbed the body and swam back as fast as his little feet allowed him to. Once he was back on the dock, he began doing CPR on the stranger. It was somewhat difficult since the stranger’s body was shell-like, so Toad did the next best thing, shake and scream.

“Hey!” Toad shouted. “Wake up!” Toad shook the stranger a few times before he heard the stranger groaned.

“P-Please… don’t shout…” he said.

“Oh uh, sorry.” Toad took his hands off the man’s shoulders. “We need to get you inside quick.” Toad gently put his head under the man’s right arm and attempted to lift the man to the castle, but he more so dragged him.

“Oh hey, what’s your name?” asked Toad as he dragged the man.

“Q-Quirrel…” he said.

* * *

  


“So, how’s your mission going?” asked Peach.

“Oh, you know same garbage, different dumpster.” Replied Samus.

Peach was in her room talking with Samus through a screen calling device Samus gave her. That way they could talk long distances no matter how far Samus was. Samus herself was busy on a mission dealing with evil aliens as usual but found some downtime to talk with her girlfriend Peach.

“Are you going to be gone for long? Or is this a short mission, in and out?” asked Peach with a grin, she was hoping it was short.

“I don’t think so; Boba Fett said this one is going to take a while.”

“Wait, Who’s Boba?”

“Oh right, I forgot to introduce to him.” Samus chuckled to herself. She moved her device, so it was facing Boba Fett, who was busy piloting Samus’s ship. “Hey Boba, this is Peach, my girlfriend.”

Boba turned in his seat to face Samus.

“Hello.” He said and then went back to piloting.

“He doesn’t talk much.” Said Samus.

“That’s okay, Fox is with you, he’ll talk.” Peach teased.

“True. Anyway, I need to get back to work so, I’ll see you later.”

“See you then, love you.” Peach winked as she spoke. Samus blushed.

“Bye babe.”

After the call ended Peach sat back into her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She was starting to feel lonely, whenever Samus left to go do her job Peach missed having her around. She liked talking to her and snuggling up in bed every night. She had Toadette, Mario and Luigi to talk to. So, she wasn’t always bored, but Samus was someone Peach could to talk about private stuff. That and Mario and Luigi were off helping Sonic with Dr. Eggman, so they weren’t available to talk to.

A knock came from her door. “Come in,” she said. Toadette walked in.

“Hello, Peach. I have the newest reports.” She walked up to Peach’s desk and placed the folders she was carrying on it.

“Oh boy, paperwork.” Peach said sarcastically.

She flipped through the multiple folders that came in, most of them were harmless, a chomp-chomp on the loose, a few boos taking over a pizza shop, basic stuff. However, one folder caught her eye.

“Another one?” she opened it up and read it to herself. “Great, another red flame with some crazy ghost using it as a weapon when someone comes near.” Peach put her face into her hands.

“Where is it this time?” asked Toadette.

“Luigi’s mansion. This is getting out of hand.”

“Well, at least it can’t- “

“Princess Peach!” a servant came running in, panting and sweaty.

“What is it?” asked Peach, startled. 

“It’s Toad… he… found a guy in the river.” He said as he panted.

“Oh geez.” Said Toadette.

“Well, I’m not bored at least.” Said Peach as she got up an followed the servant.


	2. Wake Up

If there was one word, to sum up how Quirrel felt, it was shit.

His whole body ached from top to bottom, not one spot felt normal or relaxed. His vision was still blurry and trying to process what he was seeing. When his vision became clear what he saw was…. Odd. The room he was in was bright pink, two question blocks were floating near the door, and from what he could see out the window, an endless field of green hills with more floating blocks.

He tried sitting himself up but his back ached and he went back to lying down. Surprisingly though, the bed was comfortable. It soothed his back and the rest of his sore muscles very well. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Twenty minutes passed and Quirrel was beginning to like this new environment. It was quiet and seemed peaceful enough, then again, he had been to many places in Hallownest that seemed peaceful only to harbour creatures that wanted nothing but blood.

The door came open and a weird looking…. Person walked in. She had a pink circle hat and a pink outfit.

"Hello, I'm Toadette. It's good to see you awake." She walked to the bedside table and place a warm cup of tea on it. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a warm smile.

"I'm… alright. This bed is very nice, it's helping a lot with my muscles." Said Quirrel.

"Good to hear. Oh, might I ask, what's your name?"

"Quirrel. It's very nice to meet you. May I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Toadette grinned. Quirrel chuckled a little at the response as he finally got the strength to sit up. He grabbed the tea and held it with both hands.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Mushroom?"

"Yup, mushroom homes, mushroom power-ups," Toadette then pointed to her hat. "mushroom hats." She said with another grin.

"Interesting. Very different from my home." Quirrel then thought back to where he came from, the place he grew up, the lab he worked in, the partner he worked with. _Not my home anymore. There's nothing left. _He thought.

"I'll let you rest some more; you'll meet Princess Peach later today."

"I'm assuming she's in charge?"

"You assume correctly." Toadette said cheerfully as she threw Quirrel another grin before walking out. Quirrel chuckled again.

"Funny little one."

* * *

Peach was sitting at her desk filing the last few reports that came in. They were easy to take care of and would be done in just a few minutes, but one caught her eye. It was covered by a few other files that came in. Peach pulled out the file only to realize it wasn't a file or report, it was a letter.

It read: **From King Boo, asking of a truce.**

** To Princess Peach.**

"Your joking?" Peach said to herself. King Boo, of all people, was asking for a truce? And to what purpose? Peach was starting to get frustrated, the Red Flames, Bowser's minions wondering about, and worst of all Samus wasn't around. Soon a knock came to her door.

"Come in." said Peach in a groan.

"Princess Peach, our guest is awake." Said Toadette.

"Oh, good to hear. Now should be a good time to speak with him." Peach got up from her desk and began walking down the hall with Toadette.

"So, what is our guest's name?"

"His names Quirrel. He was very polite when he came to."

"Then this should be a nice talk. Did he say where he came from?"

"No. I figured I shouldn't pry when he's seeing our kingdom for the first time."

"Smart move."

Soon they arrived at the room Quirrel was resting in and entered. Quirrel looked up from his drink to see who entered. Quirrel had never seen anything like Peach before, the same went for Toadette. To him, they were creatures he had never seen before. No bug-like features, no actual mushrooms growing on them, no crystals, moss, or that orange stuff that infested the Forgotten Crossroads.

To him, they were other-worldly.

"Hello, Quirrel. My name is Princess Peach. It's nice to meet you."

"Hello, Toadette told me I'd meet you. You're not what I expected." Quirrel tilted his head as he spoke, looking at Peach.

"How so?"

"Pattern if this comes out as rude but, I expected you to have a mushroom as well." Peach chuckled at his answer.

"I would guess the same."

"I must thank you very much for tending to me. I probably would've died if I'd stay in that lake." Quirrel lifted his mask a bit and took a small sip of the tea Toadette brought.

"If you don't mind Quirrel, I'd like to ask some questions if that's alright."

"Of course, ask away."

"Thank you. Firstly, how did you end up in the lake?"

"Oh, right. I was…" Quirrel had an answer, but he didn't know if telling Peach everything at this moment was a good idea. "I was traveling through a waterfall area and I slipped. The water swallowed me whole and next thing I know I'm here." He lied.

"Where are you from exactly?"

"An old kingdom called Hallownest. It's not what it once was, broken down and mostly in ruins. But people like me still live our lives there. It's not all bad."

"Interesting." Peach thought to herself for a brief moment, this bug had a familiar look. Those eyes he had reminded her of Knight, her small friend she met at the Super Smash Brothers Tournament.

"One more question, Does the name Knight ring a bell?"

"Knight? No one comes to mind. What does he look like?"

"Very short, grey cloak, two horns one on each side of his head, and had a black body and black eyes."

Quirrel thought for a moment, and then it hit him.

"Oh, I know who you speak of. Although, he never told me his name. Knight… odd but I like it."

"I knew you must've been from the same place." Peach sad cheerfully to herself.

"So, you met my small friend. How has he been?"

"He's a one of a kind fighter. He won the Smash Brothers Tournament, a great fighting contest I and many others take part in. I think I have recordings of it."

"Recordings? Like… archives?"

Peach realized that Knight and Quirrel came from medieval-type places, they didn't have the advanced technology she and others had. Marth, Ike, and Lucina all had to adjust to what Television was when they first came to the Smash Bros tournament. This was no different and she realized that she needed to take it slow with him.

"I'll explain later. You should probably rest more. Will do what we can till your better. Then we can see how we can get you home. Sound good?"

"Yes, that's great. Thank very much again."

"Good to hear. I'll leave you be to rest some more."

"Thank you, Princess Peach."

"Please, call me Peach."

When Peach left the room Quirrel's happy attitude disappeared. He hated that he lied, but why would he tell them the true reason of how he ended up in the lake? He didn't even want to go back to Hallownest, why bother? He had nothing left there, no home, family, no…

Monomon.

Quirrel shook his head, he needed rest. He took another sip and put the tea back on the bedside table. Quirrel closed his eyes and let his mind dream and wonder.

* * *

…

…

…

_Again, we meet my short friend. Here at last, I feel at peace._

…

…

…

_Twice I've seen this world and though my service may have stripped the first experience from me, I'm thankful I could witness its beauty again._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Hallownest is a vast and wondrous thing, but in as many wonders as it holds, I've seen none quite so intriguing as you._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Ha. My flattery returns only silent stoicism. I like that._

_…_

_…_

_I like that very much._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Incredible. _

…

_…_

_…_

_To live an age, yet remember so little… Perhaps I should be thankful? All tragedy erased. I see only wonders._

_..._

_   
_

_..._

_   
_

_..._

Quirrel opened his eyes and he saw nothing but blue around him. The air was cold, he could barely move and when he tried to breathe he felt nothing but water. The bright welcoming blue was disappearing, being swallowed away by a dark blue from below. It was getting darker and darker.

His vision was going darker.

His body losing any feeling it might have possessed.

And soon everything was black.

* * *

  


Quirrel suddenly woke up.

His body jolted upward out of bed, he was panting frantically, and he looked around the room, unsure of where he was. He was still in the same room he fell asleep in, the clear night sky allowing the bright moon to shine in the room.

Quirrel took in deep breaths and was soon calm, but now found that he couldn't sleep.

"Going to be a long night." He said to himself.


	3. Ghosts and Ashes

**One week earlier**

Deep within the haunted forest of the Mushroom Kingdom was a haunted mansion, one of many in fact. These mansions were prime bases for the creatures known as Boos.

Boos loved to scare and terrorize the townsfolk of the Mushroom Kingdom, to them it was the best joy in life and what a true boo was born to do. And the leader of them all kept that rule going for centuries.

King Boo.

King Boo considered himself a god among his fellow ghosts, he had been dead far longer than any of them and knew how the world worked perfectly. He wasn't scared of anything or anyone, and he wasn't going to let that change. He and his kind were the true horrors of the Mushroom Kingdom.

So, you can imagine why King Boo was frustrated as to why his fellow Boos were scared off by a Red Flaming Torching in their foyer. The torch appeared out of thin air about a day ago, none of the Boos put the torch there and no one lived in the mansion anymore, so who put it there? Whenever a Boo would go near the torch, a small red ghost would appear wielding the torch. This small ghost would giggle and laugh while it threw flames from the torch at the Boos, preventing many from coming near.

Now, King Boo was in the foyer of the mansion, looking at the torch, with two Boos with him, one on his left, the other on his right.

"So, if someone goes near it, some ghost appears correct?" asked King Boo.

"Yes, your majesty. Whoever it is, they use the torch as a weapon." Said the Boo on his left.

"I wonder what this guy looks like." King Boo thought to himself before looking toward the Boo on his right. "You, what's your name?"

"Jerry." Said the little Boo.

"Jerry, go near it, and touch it."

"M-Me?" the ghost stuttered.

"Yes, you. Go near it, I wish to speak with this new ghost."

"B-But- "

"Go. Near. It." King Boo got closer with each word as he spoke, getting angrier as he waited for the Boo to do his bidding.

"Y-Yes your majesty." Jerry began moving closer to the torch.

King Boo waited for this red ghost to appear as he's underling got closer. The little Boo was only a few feet away, he could feel the heat of the torch and he knew the red ghost would appear any second. Jerry was now only a few inches away, he closed his eyes and reached out to touch the torch.

Three inches.

Two inches.

One inch.

His hand was now touching it, except, nothing happened.

"Huh, well that's disappointing." Said King Boo as he turned around to leave.

"Strange." Said Jerry as he touched the torch. "I thought- "

Before the little Boo could finish speaking the torch disappeared. A loud giggle could be heard in the foyer, it sounded like a child. The red ghost appeared near Jerry, wielding the torch. It looked directly at him for a few seconds before saying;

"Boo."

Jerry yelped before running away, he didn't get far though. As he ran the red ghost used his torch to send a fast-red flaming fireball at Jerry. The fire immediately sent him in a blaze, the small Boo cried out in pain and within a few seconds, he was no more. King Boo and the other Boo with him looked in horror at what they just saw.

"Holy shit." Said the Boo to the left.

"But it was fire. Were ghosts how does that-" King Boo was cut off by a loud giggling voice.

"The powers of the Nightmare Realm have no limit." Said the small red ghost. "Your constant bombardment of the flame is getting annoying, as punishment," the ghost twirled the torch and then pointed it into the air. "I'LL BURN THIS MANSION!"

The red ghost suddenly started throwing flames all around the foyer. Within just a minute it was engulfed in fire and smoke, Boos started flying around, trying their best to the fire.

Most of them failed and burned away into nothing.

"Your majesty, it's not safe here, we must go!" said the Boo at his said.

"No kidding!" yelled King Boo.

They made their way to the front door, avoiding the flames that grew near them. Soon they were there but right before they left, King Boo looked back. The red ghost was looking directly back at him, unmoving as the flames behind him ate away the mansion and the instance colors of the fire emanated the silhouette of the ghost.

"Who are you?" yelled King Boo.

"I am Grimm Novice, a member of the Grimm Troupe." Said Novice with a giggle.

* * *

"He's a friend of Knight?" said Samus through her device's screen.

"Yup." Said Peach. "I'm starting to guess that Hallownest is some sort of bug kingdom. Given Quirrels look."

Peach had been talking with Samus for a while, explaining her situation with Quirrel. Samus was curious about Quirrel, he seemed interesting and the fact that there was another person who knew Knight was a bit of a shock. She was starting to feel jealous; all the interesting stuff was happening back home.

"Did he mention anything he and Knight did together?" Samus asked.

"Not really, he needed rest, so I didn't pry. He's still asleep now actually, I don't think he slept well." Peach started to worry, it was noon and Quirrel was still passed out.

"Hey, keep your hopes up. He'll be fine. He's in the hands of _Princess Peach."_ Samus made her voice deeper when she said Peach's name. It brought a small chuckle from Peach.

"Thanks…"

"Peach, you okay?" Samus's joking tone was gone, replaced with a concerning and soft tone.

"It's… It's just…" Peach took a deep breath before speaking. "I have Quirrel who needs tending to, King Boo wants a truce for some stupid reason, these Red Flames keep popping up and some have even disappeared somehow. And Bowser hasn't done anything in three months, _three months_! That's not normal unless he's planning something big. I don't even know where Hallownest is or if Quirrel will even make it home it'… it's just… stressful." Peach put her hands on her face after finishing her rant. She was glad she got everything out but was somewhat embarrassed by it.

Samus thought to herself, thinking of everything Peach just said. Samus looked at her frustrated girlfriend and let out a sigh.

"Peach, it'll be okay. Me, Boba Fett and Fox are almost done with this mission, and when we are, I'm coming straight back." Peach moved her hands off her face and saw Samus looking at her with a caring look. "I'll be there to help and get you through this stressful time together. We did it at the Smash Brothers Tournament remember?"

Peach did remember. After hearing Samus speak she felt a lot better. Knowing Samus was almost done, knowing they could talk face to face and feel each other again. "Thanks' Samus, I needed that." Peach smiled. Now that her head was clear, Peach suddenly had an idea.

"Hey Samus, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"On your way back do you think you could find Hallownest?"

"Uh, maybe? That might be hard since I don't have any leads."

"Well, Smash Bros sent him a letter. They must know where he is."

"Probably, I could contact them. Why do you want to know?" Samus's curiosity was increasing.

"I want Knight to meet up with Quirrel, help him with his recovery. Plus, we could give them a ride back since I think it's far from my kingdom."

Samus had to agree, it made sense. Plus, she didn't mind helping. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. You all good?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright, thanks again."

"Anytime babe." Samus winked before ending the call.

Peach let out a sigh, that felt good. Getting it all out, having Samus help and give her confidence, and Knight would be her soon. Maybe things weren't as bad as her mind made it out to be. She had to remember that she had been through a lot and that no matter how bad things seemed, she and her friends pulled through. She had to remember not to forget that. There was then a small knock at the door.

"Come in." Toadette walked in. "Quirrel is awake now."

"Ah, let's see how he's doing."

Peach made her way to Quirrel's room and knocked, he said she could enter, and he was sitting upright on the bed. Except for this time the covers were off, and his legs were hanging off the bed.

"Feeling better?" asked Peach.

"Much better, I think I can walk as well." Said Quirrel as he slowly stood up. He stumbled at first and Toadette and Peach were about to help, but he recovered quickly and was standing. "I think I'm ready to leave as well."

Peach suddenly felt a little guilty, she probably should have brought up her idea to him before asking Samus. "Right uh, so I asked a friend to bring Knight here actually."

"Oh… really?"

"Yes, and she's willing to bring you both back to your homes to save you from walking. I hope that's alright."

Quirrel thought to himself for a moment. He didn't plan on going back to Hallownest, he had nothing left there. And now Peach had already set plans in motion to help him get back to his kingdom. He wanted to tell her to that he'd rather go anywhere else but, she had been so nice and caring to help him recover. So, he responded with; "Yeah that's alright, besides, I miss my small friend." He lied.

"Good to hear." Peach felt relieved. "You hungry? We have plenty of food here."

"Yes please, what kind of food do you have in this kingdom?"

Peach grinned at him.

"The best kind."


	4. Power-Ups!

The afternoon Peach and Quirrel had was a pleasant one.

After Quirrel was told of Knight's return, Peach had brought him to the dining hall where they ate a delicious lunch of burgers and fries. A meal Quirrel had never tried and with one bite, fell in love with. Soon after their meal, Peach asked Quirrel if he wanted to see more of her Kingdom. It would pass time since it would be a while before Samus returned with Knight for his trip home.

He accepted the offer and was soon walking along the grass and rocky hills of the Mushroom Kingdom. As they walked, they soon came across some question blocks. Peach decided to explain what they did.

"You probably want to know what these are for, right?" asked Peach.

"Yes actually." Replied Quirrel. "I've seen them through the window of my room. Very odd- Oh! Sorry, no offense." Quirrel hung his face down in embarrassment.

"None taken. I agree they are odd." Peach walked under one of the blocks and looked at Quirrel. "But they're one of the reasons why my Kingdom still stands."

Quirrel looked up. Before he could reply, Peach jumped up in the air and hit the bottom of the block with her fist. From the top of the block, a strange flower appeared. It was orange and yellow and had eyes too.

"Even odder." He said.

Peach than jumped onto the block and grabbed the flower, within seconds her appearance had changed. He bright pink dress was replaced with a dress of red and white. Peach than lifted her hand in front of her for Quirrel to see. In an instant, a fire appeared, staying within Peach's grasp. Peach than looked to her right and saw a Goomba walking by. She threw the ball of fire toward it, it bounced along the ground and soon hits the target. The Goomba burned to ash in seconds and the fireball disintegrated soon after.

"Poor creature." Said Quirrel. He was impressed with the power the strange flower possessed but was a bit scared of how Peach used it.

"It's okay, it was a Goomba. There dumb creatures that constantly wonder my kingdom trying to attack my people."

"Oh… What other creatures are there?"

"Well, we have Koopa Troopa's, turtle men that also wonder about. Moles that pop out of the ground and charge at you. I could go on a lot longer, but I'd rather not bore you." Preach chuckled.

"I'll read up on them later. Your kingdom is so much livelier than mine." Quirrel looked in the distance, taking in the scenery. The endless hills of greenery, the creatures wandering about, and the plant life which all had eyes. Peach thought to herself if it would be a good idea to ask him more about his kingdom. He mentioned that it was in ruins and it wasn't what it once was. But she held back, for now at least.

"What other… things are in these blocks." Quirrel asked.

Peach looked at him with a smile. "Boy, are in for a treat." Peach grab him by the hand and started running with him across the field. Quirrel was surprised by her fast speed and firm grasp she held as they ran. They were soon near more blocks, waiting to be opened. "Go on Quirrel, give it a shot."

Quirrel looked up at the block, he took a deep breath and then jumped up towards the block. He came back down and looked up to the block and saw a feather floating down. It landed softly on the ground and Quirrel looked puzzled.

"So… what does this one do?" he asked.

"We call it the Cape Feather; it lets you fly." She replied with a smile, she was excited to see Quirrel use.

Quirrel grabbed the feather and a sudden ‘poof' sound was heard and a bit of smoke appeared around Quirrel. Once the smoke disappeared, Quirrel looked at himself and noticed a cape around him.

"How interesting, how do I fly?"

"Well, the way I do it is by giving myself a running start, then jump up in the air and you'll go flying. And to control it, just grab hold of it and you'll sort of… bounce-" Peach said while doing the quotations symbol. "in the air to fly forward."

Quirrel thought carefully about what she said. It was a lot to take in, hell, this whole world was a lot to take in. But he decided to try regardless.

"If it's too much we can try some other time?"

"I'll give it a try. No harm in trying something new."

Quirrel looked down a grassy plain ahead of him, it was clear with no blocks or creatures wondering, so it was perfect for running. Quirrel got himself in a running position, one leg back and straight, the other bent and facing forward. With his hands lightly touching the ground and facing the plain ahead. He sprinted off, gaining as much speed as possible. He took a quick breath and jumped up into the air and, he did it. He was flying. He looked down and saw the field of grass going farther and farther away. When he looked up, he saw Peach's castle in the distance, the endless hills stretching out before him.

Quirrel was enjoying every minute of it, seeing all of Peach's kingdom with no limits. He then realized he was going to far up, he remembered what Peach said; grab the cap and do an air bounce to fly forward. He took a firm grasp on the cap and prepared for the bounce; he began falling, but the updraft of wind allowed for the bounce to happen. He was now flying forward, enjoying the view once more.

The cap then slipped from his hand.

Quirrel was plunging toward the ground faster and faster with every passing second. He closed his eyes expecting splatter all over the field once he hit the rock-hard surface. But then, the impact was soft. He opened his eyes and saw he had landed on a cloud just a few inches from the ground. He looked to his left and saw Peach, except she was now wearing a puffy white dress. She looked both shocked and relieved at Quirrel's safety.

"Damn, you scared me there. I'm lucky I found a Cloud Flower." Peach lightly chuckled and was panting a little, she had been running to keep track of Quirrel.

"I'm so sorry about that." Quirrel got up from the cloud which disappeared as he got off it. "I kind of got carried away."

"Hey, it's alright. It's amazing seeing everything from up there isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it was." Quirrel chuckled a little. "So, what else is there?"

"So much more!" Peach cheered.

* * *

For the next two hours, Peach showed Quirrel all the different power-ups there were. She showed him the Helicopter Mushroom, which Quirrel seemed to control better. An Ice Flower which they used on a Hammer Bro gang. She even showed him the Mini Mushroom, they went into small pipes and collected roughly 200 hundred coins.

Soon they were near a river, it was clear and if you were to look, you could see multiple Cheep-Cheeps swimming. Peach punched two nearby blocks and each one popped out a Penguin Suit, Peach grabbed hers and was instantly in the suit.

"This one we call the Penguin Suit. It shoots ice like the Ice Flower, but I think it's better since we can swim better and breath underwater with it." She turned toward Quirrel. "What do you think?"

When Peach turned toward Quirrel, he didn't look well. His face was glued towards the river, he was just staring silently, he wasn't even breathing. He even stood perfectly still; he wasn't even moving an inch. Was he frozen with fear? Did he see something she didn't? She looked where he did and saw nothing, so what was it?

"Quirrel?" she said softly near him.

Quirrel suddenly moved, shaking his head and looking around. He seemed lost, confused as if he didn't know where he was.

"I… Uh… I would like to sit this one out. If that's alright?" he said quietly.

"Oh, of course." Peach got out of her Penguin Suit. "Are you… alright, Quirrel? You seemed scared."

"It's… nothing." Quirrel looked away.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. At that moment Peach's thoughts were racing. She wondered if maybe his experience in the water might have scared him. She thought back to how Quirrel had slept till noon, how he must've not slept at all. Maybe he had PTSD? But that wouldn't add up. If he had a bad experience with water beforehand, why go near an area filled with waterfalls as he mentioned? She decided to let it slide; _Another time. _She thought.

"Well, let's get back to the castle. I'll show you how an oven works."

Quirrel looked back at her. "Sounds good… what's an oven?"

* * *

Back at the castle, two guards were holding back the giant entrance door to Peach's castle, with many more coming to help as well. For the past five minutes, they've been holding the door firmly ready for the coming impact of the intruder. Said intruder was seen ahead of time thanks to the watchmen in the towers of the castle.

Now, they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Suddenly, a sound was heard from the outside of the door. "Get ready!" shouted one of the guards. There grip on the door became harder, ready for the mighty impact of their foe.

They then heard a simple knock on the door.

"May I please speak with the Princess?" said a male voice. The guards at the door looked at each other in confusion. Was their enemy being… nice?

"She's not here!" said one of the guards.

"You expect me to believe that?" said the voice.

"Just leave demon! We have this door ready for anything you throw at it!" said another.

"You know I can just… go throw the door… like nothing right?"

All the guards started looking at each other as realization dawned on them. Their enemy could do just that, go through walls without even breaking them. Most of the guards started panicking and started running around crying. Two of the large group of guards looked at each other. They were higher up in the rank of the guards of the castle. And seeing all the training they put in for these men now felt meaningless.

"So, can I speak with her?" said the voice.

The two guards that weren't cowering in fear, considered the idea. Peach was out with Quirrel so, if this foe was truly coming in peace to talk, they figured they should speak for her. They opened the door and went outside to speak with him, shutting the door behind them.

Standing before them was King Boo.

King Boo was accompanied by three of boos, none of whom had that familiar grin they were known for.

"Princess Peach is absent at the moment. We will speak on her behalf." Said one of the guards.

"I'm afraid that won't due." King Boo was getting angry but held it back. "I have an emergency that she needs to hear right now. It affects my people and her people, so tell me where she is or-"

"Or what?" said a voice from behind.

King Boo turned around to see Peach standing before her, along with a bug-looking guy who seemed confused as to what he was seeing. "You're just the person I was looking for Princess."

"Good to know." Peach looked at Quirrel. "Quirrel, meet King Boo, lord of the Boos. King Boo, Quirrel, my new friend."

"Uh… Hello King Boo." Quirrel spoke with a bit of hesitation, he wasn't sure he like this King Boo.

"What's the matter Quirrel? You looked like you've seen a- "

"I'm not letting you say that bad joke." Peach cut in. "You were saying something about an emergency? I assume it has something to do with that truce letter you sent." Peach crossed her arms, preparing herself for more of King Boo's attitude.

"Yes, that." King Boo's jokey nature vanished, replaced by a sterner look, it took Peach by surprise, normally he would play around before getting to the point. "You're aware of these Red Flames, right?"

"Yes, you've seen them too?"

"Yup and a red ghost appeared when we approached one. It used the torch as a weapon and its flames can burn my people to ash."

Peach's eyes went wide, the guards eavesdropping had their mouths dropped, and Quirrel was simply confused.

"But I thought only stars could kill you guys?"

"So did I."

"Then, that explains your truce letter." Peach thought to herself briefly before she continued. "Alright, I'll let you inside to… talk."

"Sounds good to me."

Peach and King Boo now walked side by side to the doors, the two guards and three Boos accompanying them. Peach then notice Quirrel was still behind them.

"You coming?" she asked.

"I uh… I'm allowed to? I don't want to intrude." He said politely. Quirrel was still new to the kingdom and didn't know if getting involved with its politics was a smart move.

"You will intrude." Said King Boo bluntly. Peach threw him a cold stare which shut King Boo's mouth shut.

"You may come to Quirrel." Peach said politely. Quirrel ran up to them to get caught up.

"I must say Peach, your kingdom continues to get more interesting." He said.


	5. Common Ground

Princess Peach had hoped that one day there could be peace. No more Boos flying around her kingdom and terrorizing the people. Bowser could find a new hobby that didn't involve kidnapping her. Evil demons that slumbered beneath her kingdom could someday vanish away and leave her home in peace. That's what her meeting room was for, negotiating. Discussing terms and deals with other kingdoms so things went the way they should. And someday, she hoped that King Boo and Bowser would be in this room discussing that.

Instead, only King Boo was here, and it wasn't even for that. He needed help in fighting a common enemy, nothing else. After this, they would go back to fighting as they always did. The room itself was nothing interesting, a simple round table in the middle, a few desks against the wall with stacks of paper. A very boring yet important room for the vital assets for and neighboring kingdoms.

“Peach?” said Toadette.

Peach suddenly looked up from the table, looking around at the others. She was far in thought that she forgot about the current meeting she was in. She shook her head and cleared her throat before speaking.

“So, King Boo, you said you’ve never seen or heard anything about this, _Grimm Troupe?_” she said calmly.

“Yes, not once.” He grunted.

"I and some of the bookkeepers looked into the kingdom's history for anything. We found nothing." Said Toadsworth. Peach had a huge library under her castle that contained the history of the Mushroom Kingdom, they also added more to it as well. The Shroob invasion, the trip to Pi’llo Island, and every single one of Bowser’s schemes.

“So, a new threat, oh boy.” Peach said sarcastically.

Quirrel during this discussion simply sat in his seat next to Peach quietly. The situation was becoming more and more serious and he was starting to wonder if it would’ve been better if he wasn’t present. But Peach said he was welcomed, and he wanted to help. But, how could he? He knew nothing outside of a few basics of Peach’s home and he still felt guilty about lying earlier. About why he ended up in the river, about how he had no interest in going back to Hallownest. Everything there was gone, he felt he had no purpose. He just… wanted to-

“Quirrel?” whispered Toadette. Quirrel looked to his right where Toadette sat. “What do you think of all this?”

Quirrel looked back to the conversation between Peach and King Boo. King Boo was saying that it would be best to kill and burn the enemy, as revenge for burning his mansion. Peach, however, replied that they should negotiate first before further violence to prevent further destruction of her kingdom. The two went back and forth, both bringing up valid arguments, but neither could agree on anything.

“It seems… difficult.” He said.

"I agree. It seems we're going to be here a while."

” Well, I have some thoughts I could add.” He rubbed the back of his neck; he spoke without thinking.

“You should say them.” Toadette had a smile on her face. “Don’t be shy. Plus, we need all the help we can get.” 

Quirrel was starting to feel nervous. “I know nothing of your kingdom though, I’ll be silenced and look foolish.”

"Oh please, I once got drunk at a meeting. Nothing can top that."

Quirrel had a puzzled look under his mask as he looked at Toadette. She didn't seem the type but then again, nothing he ever saw did. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He then spoke. "May I ask something, if that is alright?"

Peach and King Boo stopped their argument, and both looked at Quirrel. “What could you offer?” asked King Boo.

“Boo, shut up.” Snapped Peach. “Yes Quirrel, what is it?”

“I’ve been listening to King Boo’s details of these creatures and I don’t think their ghosts like him.”

King Boo glared at him. “Excuse me? They disappear, use magic, can make that torch they carry disappear as well! Explain that!” King Boo wasn’t entirely angry at Quirrel, most of his anger was built towards Peach. Quirrel speaking merely sparked his torch.

“Well, I’ve seen people in my kingdom use magic and there not dead. The power-ups Peach and her people use seem akin to magic as well. I think these people who call themselves the _Grimm Troupe_ merely use it as a weapon, or as a fear tactic.”

Everyone around the table was impressed, Quirrel took the initiative and laid out facts to help their problem. When he looked toward Toadette, she gave him a big smile. Everyone seemed to understand what he was saying… except for King Boo.

“Fear tactic? You think they scare me?”

“Well if they don’t then why are you here?” grunted Toadsworth.

“Toadsworth, not now.” Said Peach who turned her attention back to Quirrel. “So, if there not ghosts, then they can be killed by mortal weapons?”

“Possibly. We won't know until we try."

"And how do we do that?" snarled King Boo. "No offense Peach but your soldiers… suck."

“Offence taken.” Replied Peach.

“And even with my skills and Peach’s, **_moderate_** skills, were not enough to go to every kingdom to kill every one of them."

“You seem to forget that Mario and Luigi can go from this castle to Bowser’s in a heartbeat.”

“Guess all that time in your mansion made you forget, hmmm?” Toadsworth grunted again.

“I can fight.” Said Quirrel. As soon as the words left his mouth all eyes were once again back on him. “I’m a swordsman.”

“Well, where’s your sword?” asked King Boo.

Quirrel thought back to the Blue River where he left it, wondering if it was still there. “Lost it in the river.” He lied.

“Well ain’t that peachy.”

“I’ll half to give you a weapon than.” Said Peach. “However, these torches are in every single kingdom and I can’t simply leave mine.”

"That solution is easy." Said Toadsworth as he stood up in his seat. "We inform every other kingdom that these creatures may be mortal and that there is a chance of killing them.” Toadsworth let out a small cough after he finished speaking.

“Yes but, these creatures are tough. Do we have any weapons that could be useful against them?” asked King Boo.

The room went silent and Quirrel and Toadsworth sat back in their seats. All the reports that Peach received said that the soldiers of other kingdoms tried fighting them, but none could defeat them. Yet some would disappear a few days later, never to be seen again in the same place. That’s when an idea came to Peach, there was a person she knew who had dealt with the supernatural, made devices that had help fight her foes, and had a thing for solving the unknown. “I have an idea.” Peach said. Everyone turned to her to listen. “But will need Professor E Gadd to help.”

“WHAT!” shouted King Boo, causing some of those present to cover their ears.

“E Gadd has helped me dozens of times, and he’s faced enemies like this. So, I want to see if he can create a weapon to combat them.”

“Yes but- “

“You want our help you work with E Gadd, deal?”

King Boo was about to argue more, but then he realized that if he left Peach he would be at a disadvantage. He and his people could very easily be killed by this new threat so staying with Peach seemed to be the better option.

“Deal. But if I see a vacuum I’m leaving.”

* * *

The meeting had finally come to an end in the evening, both sides finding common ground. The plan was simple. Peach would give the news to the other kingdoms that these creatures were mortal and can be killed by mortal means. They were also going to meet E Gadd to see if he could develop a new weapon to fight the new threat more easily. Peach also figured that E Gadd was already aware of the Red Torches spreading across the land. And he was most likely already doing something about it.

King Boo and his three soldiers were escorted to guest rooms, King Boo didn’t feel safe in any of his mansions. He would never admit it though. Peach meanwhile wanted to show Quirrel something special. “You said you are a swordsman, right?” Peach asked as she and Quirrel walked down the hall to her room.

“Yes, I don’t think I’m the best, but I’d like to think I’m at least decent.”

"Well, I think you're going to love the small collection I have."

When they got to Peach’s room, Peach walked over to a small cupboard in her room and opened it. Inside were three blades hung perfectly even with each other. One was a curved sword, had a single-edged blade and had a black handle. The second one was a rapier, which had a goldish colored blade, that circled near the bottom to the blue handle. The bottom of the handle also had a goldish color as well. The last of the three was the biggest, it was blue and had a golden circular design on the hilt.

“Impressive.” Said Quirrel.

“They were gifts from friends I had met. I kept them as reminders of them.”

Quirrel looked at each one carefully, seeing which one would be best for him. The first seemed uninteresting to him, and the third one was too big to wield. But the rapier had his attention. He picked it up and held it firmly in his hand, testing the weight. It was light and moved swiftly. “I think I’ll go with this one.”

“Great choice.” Peach said cheerfully. “Although, I'd like to talk to these enemies of ours first before more violence occurs. Now then, I think we could use some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“Sounds good, good night Peach.” Quirrel made his way to the door but stopped when Peach spoke.

“Hey Quirrel, thanks for your help in the meeting room.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“Nothing? Quirrel you pointed something out that I nor King Boo couldn’t see. And now we have a plan and were going to stop this _Grimm Troupe _for good. That isn’t nothing.” Peach gave Quirrel a reassuring look. Quirrel felt a little bit better, but he still hated that he lied once again in the meeting room. Soon he would tell Peach the truth, but for now he just wanted to help.

"Thank you, Peach." With that, he left her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swords:
> 
> 1\. Windcleaver (Breath of the Wild)  
2\. Dream Blade (Dragon Quest 8)  
3 Tsumugari (Okami) 
> 
> In case anyone was curious.


	6. Going Smoothly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mild description of suicide.

Professor E Gadd's house was odd, to say the least. From the outside the whole building was crooked toward the left, it was shaped oddly too. What should have been rectangular shapes were morphed and almost looked like a pyramid. To anyone outside, it seemed inadequate for a home. But to E Gadd, it was all essential.

Inside the house, each room was littered with stacks of blueprints, pieces of machinery, or glowing liquids. Some of which was leaking onto the floor. However, he was too busy for that, he had bigger problems to fix. In his basement, he had a containment chamber, designed to hold anything otherworldly. Aliens, ghost, anything that was, as he called it, "Too strange." And he would watch from the outside observing whatever he had lurking within it.

And what he currently had inside was… interesting.

A very large, oval-like shaped creature, floated around inside. It had dark red skin and wielded a red flaming torch. The nightmarish creature tried teleporting out, but E Gadd was prepared for that. Whenever it tried it was electrocuted, leaving it stunned. E Gadd couldn't stop looked and writing every possible thing he saw in the creature. The way it moved its body, the hellish magic that loomed around it. And the way it spoke.

"It won't matter if I'm in here. The child will find me." The creature chuckled. E Gadd had been keeping count of how many times it said ‘child', so far it was eight. He had kept this creature in the chamber for a few days now, it always spoke of a weird group called "_The Grimm Troupe_." E Gadd had to know more.

"What is this child you speak of? You've mentioned it a few times now."

"You are not of the troupe; therefore, I will not say." The creature again chuckled.

"Again, you keep it a secret." E Gadd sighed. It was day three and he only had a few recurring notes; child, troupe and master. He decided to try his luck again. "Who's this master of yours?"

"If you join, I'll tell you."

E Gadd was about to respond when he heard a knock on his front door. "Will continue this later." E Gadd left the creature and made his way to the door when he opened it, he saw Princess Peach.

"Peach! Oh my god, nice to see you." E Gadd went and gave Peach a hug which she returned.

"Hello E Gadd, it's great to see you too."

Before E Gadd could continue to talk, he quickly noticed of Quirrel, who stood beside Peach. "Who is this?"

"This is Quirrel, Quirrel meet Professor E Gadd."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Quirrel offered his hand which E Gadd shook.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Come in, I've got coffee."

Peach and Quirrel walked inside while two guardsmen took watch by the front door. They followed E Gadd to his small kitchen where he pulled three mugs out from his cupboard, he took his fresh coffee and poured a fair amount into each and put them on his table.

"So," he said as he sat down. "what brings you to my home?" Peach and Quirrel took their seats, Peach held her coffee but didn't take a sip. Quirrel gave it a taste… he wasn't a fan but remained silent.

"I'm here asking for your help. Have you seen these Red Flames around by any chance?"

"Oh yes of course. It's hard to miss them." he took a quick sip of his coffee. "I even captured one." He said with a grin. Peach almost dropped her mug.

"Wait what?"

"Yup. Got it in my basement." He took another quick sip.

"May you please show us?" Peach set her mug on the table.

"I'd be happy to show you. As well as our new guest."

Peach and Quirrel followed E Gadd to his basement door, they went down a spiral staircase and were soon in his basement. They followed him down a hallway and along the way Quirrel took note of everything he saw. There was E Gadd's large computer, with twelve screens in total, although to Quirrel it looked like magic. He and the others stepped over leaking ooze like liquid that was over the floor. And near the end of the hall, Quirrel took a quick peek of a larger room to his right. It was a big room with multiple portraits hung up, most of which were humans in with either blue or purple skin. Quirrel merely shrugged, he assumed they were just relatives.

Soon E Gadd led them to the room at the end of the hall, inside was his containment chamber, which held the nightmarish creature.

"Behold, a keeper of a Red Torch." E Gadd waved his hands in the direction of the creature. Peach took a long look at what she was seeing. Peach had seen many demons in her life, and this one was no different. The Creature just stared back never breaking eye contact, as she moved around the room its head turned in her direction. Just by its looks, Peach had a sinking feeling that she couldn't make peace with these creatures. She came to E Gadd asking for a new weapon, but she still didn't want further violence. She tried anyway.

"Hello there, what is your name?" she asked.

"I am Grimm Nightmare, member of the Grimm Troupe." He said with a deep sinister chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"What your trying to do, won't work. Master wants the flames of this kingdom, and you can't stop him."

"Does this master have a name?"

"Grimm."

"He named his troupe after himself?" The creature simply chuckled in response. Peach hadn't even met this Grimm yet, but she was already not a fan of him. _He must have quite the ego _she thought.

"Oh, so now you tell me the masters name," said E Gadd. "Three days I've had you here and only now?"

"It was fun seeing you suffer." Chuckled Nightmare.

Peach brought E Gadd away from the chamber so she could speak with him alone. "E Gadd, I think we have enough info to know these creatures are dangerous. I think it's time we come up with a way in ho to kill them."

"That soon? But I wanted to experiment more."

"I know you love learning but, these things are destroying my kingdom as well as the others. The reason I'm here is that I need you to find a way to kill them fast and quick." Peach and E Gadd turned back to the chamber, the creature was now looking at Quirrel, who tried to start a conversation with him. "Each time people try to fight these things they win and then just disappear. I need a way to fight them, do you think you can do that?"

E Gadd looked back at the chamber, and then back at the creature. "Hmm." E Gadd over the past three days took note that the creatures weren't of alien or ghost origin since they could be harmed by mortal means such as electricity and-

_BINGO!_ He thought.

"Electricity!" he shouted.

Peach backed up out of shock and Quirrel and Nightmare looked in his direction. E Gadd was suddenly at his workbench, tinkering away at whatever was near him. The sounds of metal on metal, screws turning, and a constant "ZAP" sound continued to echo in the room for two minutes and then in an instant, E Gadd stopped.

"Perfect." He said.

"What did you make?" asked Quirrel.

E Gadd turned around and revealed he had made in his hands. The device had a small handle that was attached to a slim long barrel, at the end of the barrel was a thin piece of metal with a small metal ball at the end. It had a similar look to a harpoon gun.

"I present, the Electronic Rifle!" he said with glee.

"What's a rifle?" asked Quirrel. There were no guns in Hallownest, so he did not know of them.

"A device that shoots metal." Said Peach "I have a few back at the castle I can show you." Peach turned back to E Gadd. "But this one shoots electricity?"

"Yes! You see, when I tricked this creature into the chamber, the best and only way I kept it from leaving was with the electro field I have in place inside. Each time he tried to escape it zapped him and left him stunned."

"So… if we use this on them…" said Quirrel.

"We can use it to eliminate them yes!" E Gadd pointed at Quirrel as he spoke. E Gadd then turned his attention back to the chamber. "Now, open the containment chamber."

Peach and Quirrel looked confused, but Nightmare looked excited. "I'm sorry, what?" said Peach.

"Open it. Let's test this new toy." E Gadd aimed the rifle toward the chamber, his finger ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

"Are… you sure?" asked Quirrel

"You heard him, open it." Chuckled Nightmare.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Said Peach as she brought out her golf club from under her dress. Quirrel wondered how she kept it there.

"I always do." E Gadd had a big grin as Quirrel slowly went to the chamber door. He turned the handle and the door opened. The creature didn't move or speak at first, but soon began laughing. In an instant, he disappeared and was soon floating high above them.

"You're a fool for releasing me! Now, BURN!"

Grimm Nightmare came swooping down toward E Gadd, twirling his torch. The red flame burning brighter as he came closer to him, Peach and Quirrel were about to attack, but then stopped when they heard electricity coming from the rifle. In a spilt second, a bolt of electricity erupted from the rifle stopping Nightmare in his tracks. The impact that came from the rifle was as if a hammer slammed into Nightmare's gut, he was held in place, but its power and the electricity burned and sizzled his skin. He cried out in pain and felt his grip on the torch weakening but held onto it. He knew he was about to die but refused to let go of what he was born to protect. Within just a few seconds he burst into flames and a nightmarish glow emitted around them. Then in a blink of an eye, all the flames and glow came crashing together and all that was left of the creature was a single red flame floating in the air, unmoving, without a torch, and without a Grimmkin.

"Splendid!" shouted E Gadd.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Peach.

"I… think we killed him." Said Quirrel.

"Yes, we did. Electricity seems very effective against them. And now we have our weapon."

"Okay so, that's great but, how are we going to get to every kingdom to do this?" asked Quirrel.

"Easy, I get my duplicating machine to remake hundreds of these. Then we send them to the other kingdoms and soon, these creatures will be no more."

"What about that?" as Peach asked, she pointed towards the still floating flame in the room.

"Hmm." E Gadd went back to his tool bench and brought out a few more tools. He then went over to one of his many cupboards and open it. He pulled out what looked to be a vacuum and began tinkering away again. "This was an early model for my Poltergust 5000." He said as he worked. "All I need to do is adjust its settings and mainframe as the containment chamber. And if this works," E Gadd brought up the handle and turned it on. In half a second the red flame was sucked up by the device. "it should work as a way to contain the flames."

"Astounding." Said Quirrel.

"You always have a trick up your sleeve, don't you?" said Peach with a grin.

"Well of course Princess."

"Now, I need you to make as many of these as you can, both the weapon and the vacuum. Then this nightmare will be over with."

"Of course." E Gadd picked up both the Electronic Rifle and vacuum and made his way to a different room in his basement. Peach and Quirrel followed behind.

"Peach?" asked Quirrel.

"Yes."

"Even if we capture these red flames, what are we going to do about this, master Grimm?"

"Well…" Peach thought for a moment, she hadn't thought that far ahead. She didn't have a plan except capturing the flames and kill the creatures causing trouble. "I'll be honest, I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Maybe that's a good thing." Peach looked at him with a raised eyebrow, so he continued. "Focusing on the now and getting it done is good. If you think too hard about the future, you'll just miss out on what you're doing now."

"True, but my kingdom is on the line."

"All the more reason to remain focused on what's in front of you." Quirrel might have been wearing a mask, but Peach knew Quirrel had a caring look underneath. All this stress and worrying, it was never-ending. It kept building and building, and it seemed as if it would keep going till the end of time. But it only took a few words to help calm her. And she was grateful for it.

"Thanks, Quirrel." Peach fought back tears. "First Samus was giving me courage now you." She said with a chuckle.

"Who's Samus?"

* * *

**3 days later.**

Quirrel and Toadette made their way down the main street of the town square. A Red Flaming Torch was reported being seen in the middle of the town. No one was on the main street; everyone knew what these creatures were capable of and stayed in their homes. It was quiet and no sounds could be heard except birds chirping and the wind blowing.

Quirrel had his hand on Dream Blade, as they approached the torch. Toadette had a vacuum on her back and a rifle which she held in both her hands; both were ready to kill. Their attack strategy was simple, Quirrel would engage the enemy keeping his attention on him, once Toadette had a clear shot, she'd fire, and the flame was ready for the taking.

"Everyone seems scared." Said Quirrel as they came closer to the town square.

"It's alright, will have this taken care of." Said Toadette.

Soon there were in the town square, the torch was planted in the middle of the water fountain. Its red glow illuminated over the crystal-clear water pouring out in the fountain, the shadow of it stretched out across the square as the sunset. Quirrel was only five feet away from the torch, Toadette stayed farther back, rifle ready. Quirrel slowly brought out Dream Blade and took another step closer to the torch. He readied himself by taking a fighting stance, held his weapon firmly, and lunged forward toward the torch. It disappeared as soon as Quirrel swung the blade, causing him to miss and land in the fountain, splashing water all around him.

He could hear a deep laugh around him and was soon face to face with a Grimmkin. This one was more… chubbier than the last one he saw, it also seemed to have horns on its head as well. "You idiot." It laughed and swung it's torch, sending balls of fire towards Quirrel. Quirrel quickly dashed away from the fireballs and once again lunged toward the creature. He gave a quick slash with his blade on the creature, making cry in pain before vanishing again and reappearing across from him. It continued to attack Quirrel but missed due to Quirrel's quick reflexes. The fight continued while Toadette waited and aimed at the creature, hoping to find an opening without hitting Quirrel.

Soon the creature got frustrated and floating into the air. It then shook its torch violently around itself, causing multiple fireballs to fly around. Quirrel easily avoided them and noticed that while it shook its torch, it was staying still to do so. He looked in Toadette's direction who had the rifle aimed toward it. She fired and the bolt of electricity that was within it shot toward the creature. The fireball frenzy stopped and the creature was stuck in place, screaming as the electricity burned it alive.

"NO!" it cried. "I'm Grimmkin Master! I can't die! I must wait for the child!" A few seconds after it exploded and all it's flames a nightmarish glow compounded into a single flame mindlessly floating in the air. Toadette put the rifle away and brought out the nozzle of the vacuum and sucked up the flame in an instant, the stop was done.

"Another one done." Said Quirrel as he caught his breath.

"You did well Quirrel, if we keep this up will be done in no time." Toadette said cheerfully.

"FIRE!" someone cried.

Quirrel and Toadette looked in the direction of the voice and saw people binging buckets of water toward small fires cast around the town square. "Oh right, the fire." Said Toadette as she and Quirrel ran towards them to help. The fires were small and were dealt with quickly, no one was hurt, the Grimmkin defeated and the townsfolk were safe. The people gathered around Quirrel and Toadette congratulating them for their efforts.

"You were great." a man said.

"Nice job." a woman said.

Quirrel was glad he could help; these creatures were disturbing these people's peace that he felt they earned. Everyone was nice and thankful and Quirrel was a bit overwhelmed by it. He couldn't quite place it but, he felt happier knowing that he was doing something more with himself. He had a purpose, a job.

Something that he lost in Hallownest.

* * *

It was late at night and Peach was busy in her room looking over some reports from the other kingdoms. It had only been three days and almost every Red Flame from every kingdom was being captured. As the flames were captured, they were sent to Peach's castle as well, E Gadd had set a lab in her basement where he kept them contain and did his research. Each day the torch's slowly disappeared and soon her kingdom would be back to normal… as normal as it can get anyway.

Feeling satisfied with her work she got up and left her room, making her way to her private lounging area of her castle. It was room made for only for her, her favorite books were organized on a big shelf, she had a big TV with another shelf next to it with plenty of movies and video games, with a big soft couch to watch from. It also had a great heating system for the cool nights the kingdom had, making it warm and cozy. She sat at the table near the window after getting herself vanilla tea and relaxed in her chair. It felt good to know her work was done for the day, things going smoothly, and that Knight and Samus were coming to her castle.

"Peach." said Quirrel as he knocked on the door "May I speak with you?"

"Of course, come in." as Quirrel entered she gestured towards the chair in front of her, which Quirrel sat in.

"How are you doing? Haven't seen you all day." She asked.

"Oh, I've been fine. It seems these Red Flames will be done soon."

"Yeah, can't wait. And then will find this, _Master Grimm_, and find out what he was doing. Things are looking good."

"Hey, Peach. Can I confess something to you?"

Peach's smiled faded replaced by a concerning and serious look. "Sure." She said slowly. "What is it." Peach trusted Quirrel, but also had to remember that he came from another kingdom and still didn't know that much about him.

"I've lied, about how I ended up in that lake." Quirrel head was facing down. "And about how I don't want to go back to Hallownest."

Peach was silent for a moment, taking in what he said. She then spoke. "You know, I wanted to ask you more about that." Quirrel looked up. "When we were about to try the penguin suit, you froze at the lake. You seemed like you were somewhere else. There's more you're not telling but I didn't say anything because I know that this is all overwhelming. Especially since you got here you've done a great job helping me." Peach gave him a soft smile, she wasn't angry. She had her suspicions but wanted Quirrel to open up to her slowly. "But don't you want to go back home? Is it because it's, not what it once was?"

"That's only a small reason as to why." Quirrel looked back down to the table. "In Hallownest, I had a teacher, Monomon was her name. I was her apprentice. And…" Quirrel took a quick breath continuing. "When she needed to do something important, she entrusted me with her mask as protection."

"The one your wearing now?" asked Peach.

"No, this one was different, and it's gone now." Quirrel fought back tears that were forming under his mask, all his memories of him and her learning together were flooding back into his mind and he'd be damned if he let them leave his eyes. "When I left our kingdom, I lost my memory, not sure how it happened but soon I had forgotten everything. After some traveling, I found my way back to Hallownest and…" he paused, the next part of his story would be a bit shocking but figured it needed to be said. "I and Knight had o kill her."

Peach's eyes went wide. "Why?"

"As long as she lived a shield protected a temple that Knight needed to enter. She wanted me to do it though, she was prepared for Knight. And I helped but, I didn't want too. She was my teacher, my _friend_." Quirrel didn't realize it but he let his tears come out. They leaked out from the bottom of his mask and dripped down slowly onto the table. Peach put her hand on Quirrel's, lightly squeezing it, he didn't react, only cried quietly. "After we killed her I made my way to the Blue Lake, a large area of water in our kingdom. And just sat near the edge… looking at it."

Peach didn't like where this was going. "Quirrel… did you try to…"

"Yes… I had no purpose, I no longer mattered. And how could I? Our kingdom had fallen, there's nothing left but a small town and a few other bugs." More tears came leaking out. "Knight came to my side at one point, I spoke with him and he said nothing."

_Of course. _Thought Peach

"And then, he sat beside me. He didn't talk, move or anything. He just sat by my side for a few minutes and then left."

Peach had a million more questions but knew Quirrel didn't have the answers for all of them. Why even ask anyway? She just heard her friend admit that he made a suicide attempt. Heard that he felt useless and nothing left worth living, and Knight was there, he was there, and he didn't try to stop it! It made Peach feel angry, how could Knight just, leave him! She wanted answers but now wasn't the time for that, her friend was crying and wanted to die, those answers could wait. Peach got up from her chair moved next to Quirrel and hugged him, she didn't say anything, only gave comfort for her friend.

"You matter Quirrel, no matter what state your kingdom is in. And if you don't want to go back to Hallownest, that's fine. I will find you a new home, I promise." Peach spoke softly with a caring voice. Quirrel closed his eyes and hugged her back and was no longer soft as he cried, he let it all out. They stayed in their tight hug for a few minutes before Peach let go, Quirrel did the same. He took a few deep breaths and took a long sip of his tea.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"I'm glad I could help."

"Well... I'll be off to my room. Goodnight Peach."

"Goodnight."

Peach took her seat once more and took a sip of her tea. She had no idea her night was going to end like this, seeing Quirrel cry like he did was heartbreaking, plain and simple. And Knight was involved in this then she thought, and she wanted answers as to why he left Quirrel alone. But for now, she would relax, drink tea, and sleep well knowing that this _Grimm Troupe _was coming to an end.

"It's almost over." She told herself.

* * *

"That's her room, up there." A deep voice softly spoke in the thick forest outside Peach's Castle.

"Thank you, my friend. Are your troops ready?" replied a deep, raspy sinister voice next to the other.

"Yup, I still don't get why we didn't grab the flames while they were being delivered to her castle." The voice mumbled

"It's easier if all the flames are in one place, wouldn't you agree?"

"…. I guess that makes sense." The man sounded embarrassed.

"Once we grab them, return to my tent and will finish the ritual."

"Sounds good. Oh yeah, you're not… going to hurt her, right?" the man sounded concerned for Peach, even though what he was about to do would the opposite.

"That would be my last intention, my friend." The sinister voice sounded calm and soft as he reassured his ally.

"Then what is your intention?"

"To make my acquaintance."


	7. Acquaintance

Peach never considered herself to be a deep sleeper, nor a light sleeper. If something fell, she could easily slip back into her dreams as if nothing woke her. And more often than not, she was sleeping with Samus, who cuddled with her every night. So, if something woke them both, Samus would do all she could to put Peach back to sleep, so she got a good night's rest.

Tonight, was different.

Peach could here to faint sound of glass making contact with her dresser. Then, the sound of a liquid being poured. And after that footsteps. Someone was in her room. Their footsteps were light but heavy enough to echo in her room, and the pouring sound of a liquid was there again. Peach slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She then began to sit up in her bed and turned in the direction of the sound as well as her unwanted guest.

When her eyes adjusted to the dark, her eyes widened in horror and shock. The figure that stood before her was menacing, they were tall and clad in a blackish grey cloak that covered their body. Their head was shaped like demonic horns that curved inward. Peach didn't say anything, she continued her deep breaths to calm herself. The tall figure before her turned their head in her direction, Peach now saw the scarlet red glowing eyes they had, it only added to their image.

"Good, you're awake." The voice was male, deep, and _very _harsh and sinister sounding. "I brought red wine if you'd like some."

He showed her the bottle he used to pour into two glass cups that were on Peach's dresser.

"N-N-No thank you. It's a bit late for me. And, how did you get in here?" She replied. Peach mentally kicked herself for faltering her voice. The man seemed to notice.

"Don't be afraid, I'm merely here to talk. And you should get locks on your windows." He set the bottle down and brought up the two glasses. Peach took note of how he walked, he was casual and graceful as he walked, he seemed to carry himself with ease.

The man had set Peach's desk chair near her bed and he sat down, putting one glass on Peach's bedside table and the other he held.

"I said-"

"I know, you're not thirsty, it's for me when I finish this glass." He then took a sip of the wine, sighing after he did. He enjoyed red wine very much.

"Now, I think it’s time to make my acquaintance. I am Grimm, master of the Grimm Troupe."

"Nice to meet you." Peach said slowly. Grimm took another sip of wine as she spoke.

"You have a very nice castle Princess Peach, and your kingdom I must say is very impressive" He sounded too casual for Peach's liking, he seemed as though he could care less if he was breaking in.

"Thank you. I work hard to keep this kingdom safe, as well as the other kingdoms as well."

"I've noticed. You took down my Grimmkin very effectively." He took another sip. "And I do mean that you have shown great leadership and teamwork with your allies."

"So, that's what they’re called, the ones wielding the torches?"

"Yes, they can be troublesome, but they serve me well." He took another sip; his glass was almost empty. "That brings me to the reason I'm here. I would like my flames back."

Peach considered her options; she was corned in her room and the mere look of Grimm was enough to convince her that he was dangerous. If she refused, he could very well kill her right now. She could fight, but Grimm seemed to have her stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Why do you need them?" she asked calmly.

"The complete my ritual, to feed the child."

"My friend E Gadd mentioned that to me. If I may, what's this ritual and child you speak of?" Grimm was silent for a moment; he wasn't sure if he should tell her even though she wasn't with the Troupe. Peach continued. "Please Grimm. I only want to understand why you're doing all this. I didn't want to fight you're… Grimmkin, but I was left with no choice. So please, tell me why you need them and well find some common ground."

"Alright."

Grimm took another sip of his wine, finishing the glass. He placed it down next to the full glass and held the full glass between his fingers.

"I and my Troupe have a certain… _heart_, that we need to feed. It needs the flames of fear and nightmares to survive, and for as long as I can remember, we always found those flames in fallen kingdoms." Grimm looked up toward the ceiling, he seemed to be remembering those memories. "Each kingdom gave us what we needed, regardless if it was fallen to ruin. But then came your kingdom." He looked back down toward Peach. "Your kingdom Princess Peach is _very _special." He took a sip of his wine.

"Special?" Peach asked.

"Yes. Your kingdom has fallen _so _many times. Countless amounts of fear and nightmares just waiting to be fed to the child. And yet, your kingdom always rises back up. Only for it to fall all over again. Rinse, and repeat. That's why I'm here Princess Peach. Your kingdom has more flames than any other I have ever come across. That's why I need them."

Peach processed everything Grimm said, most of it didn't make sense to her. But, from what she heard, it sounds as if Grimm needs to feed this _heart_, these flames of fear or whatever. And that her kingdom had a lot of it! In any other circumstance, she would gladly help those in need. But, Grimm and his Grimmkin were different, they had a sinister look to them. The Grimmkin killed some of King Boo's people and terrorized people. If Grimm wanted these flames desperately, he would've come in peace and asked for assistance. Or at the very least, collect the flames himself and begone without anyone noticing.

Peach said her next word carefully.

"Grimm," she said calmly. "if you were to collect these flames, why didn't you come to me for help? Why were your Grimmkin terrorizing my and the other kingdoms people?"

"I, unfortunately, cannot collect the flames. The one who must collect them is the one who lights the Nightmare Lantern. The one who called us to this world."

It finally clicked with Peach. "Bowser"

Grimm chuckled softly at her response. "Yes, Lord Bowser is the one who lit our lantern and summoned us."

"How does this work?"

"I travel through dreams, and when a lantern is lit, a signal was given for me and my troupe to come." He took another sip of his wine. "I'm very grateful for this, especially after last time." Grimm's voice lowered as he spoke as if he was angry about something. He looked at his glass and twirled the wine.

"What happened last time?" At this point, Peach needed a way out and was stalling for time. There was no negotiating with Grimm, especially since Bowser was involved.

"Last time we did our ritual, our summoner turned his back, and me and my troupe were banished from his kingdom. All thanks to one of my own turning against me." Grimm took a long sip of his wine; the glass was almost empty.

_Banishment? _Thought Peach. "Who's this child?"

"The next Grimm to continue the endless song." Grimm looked back up at Peach, he finished his glass of wine and placed it on the bedside table. "Done stalling?"

Peach froze in place and felt as though her heart skipped a beat.

"Give me the flames Princess Peach."

Grimm's calm voice was still present, but he no longer talked casually. He was done making his acquaintance, he was demanding now.

"I'm…" Peach took a quick breath before answering. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Peach was ready for a fight. Her muscles tensed and her fist clenched tight. She was prepared to throw away her sheets and give everything she had towards Grimm. That was what she was expecting, but Grimm merely sat in his seat for a few seconds before getting up.

"Very well." He towered over Peach as he walked toward the window. "I will still need those flames, but you've made your position clear. And I'll respect it."

Grimm opened the window and looked back towards Peach. "I'm sorry this couldn't work, and I'm sorry I must do what I'm about to do. But we have a father to burn, and a child to feed."

Grimm lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened at first, but then in mere seconds, Peach heard a loud explosion, screams and the sound of a battle. Peach turned her head back toward Grimm, but he was already gone, quick as he was when he entered.

"Princess!" Toad slammed the door open. "The castle is under attack!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, school and life have been busy and I wanted this chapter to be really good. If you want to leave a comment please do! Your feedback always makes me smile so don't be shy.


	8. The Siege of Peach's Castle

Quirrel jolted up in his bed as he heard the explosion. He quickly grabbed his weapon, Dream Blade, and wrapped the belt of it around his waist as he stormed out of his room to the source of the sound. As he ran down the castle hallways, he came up to Toadette, who was also running in the same direction. "What's happening?" he asked as he ran with her.

"The castle is under attack!" she said as she and Quirrel ran down a flight of stairs. "Bowser did a _really_ good job planning this one out."

"Who's- "

"I'll tell ya later."

Toadette and Quirrel were getting close to the source of all the fighting. They could hear several weapons being used, from fire flowers to hammers being thrown. It sounded as if hell opened in the castle. When they turned a corner, they were greeted by two Boomerang Bros, both of which threw their weapons the moment they saw them. They were thankfully quick enough to run back to the safety of the wall. Quirrel saw their weapons go flying back towards them, no doubt they were running toward them.

Toadette expected this, and she brought out a fire flower from her pocket. Her outfit change from bright pink, to bright orange and red. She peaked around the corner and threw two fireballs. The two Boomerang Bros didn't even have time to react before they were nothing but ash.

Quirrel and Toadette continued there to run when they came to the main entrance. It was the source of the noise that echoed throughout the castle. At the entrance multiple Koopa Troopa's and Goomba's came storming in, wrecking everything they saw. At both their left and right there were the stairs. Both of which were blocked off with chairs and cabinets. Peach's troops were using them for cover and while they threw fire and ice at Bowser's men. Bowser's men did the same, using tables and whatever else they could find as cover. It proved useful for the Fire Bros who fired back.

"Wait," said Quirrel "if the enemy is blocked here, then how did those other guys slip by?"

"Oh no." said Toadette.

She looked back down the hallway from where they came. As if on cue more of Bowser's army were storming down the hall toward them. Toadette realized as to how their enemies slip by. They were attacking the castle from all sides. The front door was being held but the rest of the castle must have been surrounded. She and Quirrel ran up to the door and slammed it shut. Both held the door shut while Bowser's men bashed at it from the other side.

"Quirrel, Toadette!" both looked at the person who spoke, it was Peach. "Don't bother with the door! I need you both to protect the Red Flames in the basement! E Gadd can't fight them alone!"

"But what about you?" replied Toadette.

"I'll take care of them! Go, now!"

Neither Quirrel or Toadette like the idea of leaving Peach, but they trusted her, and she had a point. If the captured the Red Flames everything they had accomplished would have been for nothing. They reluctantly left the door and ran for the basement were the Red Flames were kept. The door slammed opened and five Goomba's, six Koopa Troopa's, seven Dry Bones came out and surrounded Peach.

"If we take the flames and kidnap Peach, the boss will double our paycheck!" said one of the five Goombas.

"As if." Peach said through gritted teeth. She pulled out her frying pan and golf club from under her dress and rushed toward her foes. There wasn't a trace of mercy.

* * *

Toadette and Quirrel continued their run to the basement. Along the way, they came across many foes all of which they vanquished. A squad of Goomba's, Quirrel knocked them out. Fire Bros storming them, Toadette turned them to ice with an ice flower.

Nothing would stop them.

There was too much at stake. Peach, the castle (which was continuing to gather more fire), and the Red Flames they worked towards. _The Grimm Troupe were the _cause_ of all this _thought Quirrel. _All this, and for what? _This ran in his head as he fought his way to the basement. Why destroy so much? Why hurt so many? These questions kept coming up, but no answers came to fruition.

Soon they came towards the basement of the castle… and the door was open. Quirrel and Toadette's heart sank as they rushed in to see what had happened. Though, they already had a good idea as to what transpired.

The door seemed to have been ripped from its hinges, and claw marks could be seen on what was left of the door. The steps that lead downward seemed to have been indented as well. Something heavy came down here. They eventually came to the basement and Quirrel came to see the sight before him.

The entire lab E Gadd had made was destroyed. Metal parts bent and burnt, shards of glass spread across the floor, and electricity sparking out of hanging wires. Both soon took note of E Gadd who was lying on the floor… unmoving.

They made their way over, being mindful of the glass and kneeled to see if he was alive. He was, but his current state was awful. His glasses were broken, his left eye was bruised, and his nose bled to his chin. "E Gadd?" squeaked Toadette. She found she had no air in her lungs. E Gadd's eyes opened, and he coughed a few times as he attempted to get on his feet.

Quirrel slowly brought him back down. "You need to rest."

"I… I can't, they got them." Toadette and Quirrel looked at each other then back to E Gadd. "All of them… gone."

* * *

Peach stood triumphantly over her fallen enemies, her frying pan and golf club were semi-soaked in the blood of her unconscious foes whom all laid motionless and groaned in pain. Peach looked around the entrance all, it was almost in complete flames, her troop, as well as Bowser's, were starting to withdraw from the fight. She knew that most of her castle was suffering the same fate, everything she worked for was burning to ash, and there was nothing she could do.

She was about ready to charge at what enemies remained when she suddenly heard a stomping noise. She knew only one person could walk like that. She looked down from the balcony of the entrance hall and saw Bowser emerge. He was accompanied by four Hammer Bros and a strange flying creature. It had grey wings and devil shaped head. That's when it hit her. This little creature was that child E Gadd mentioned! Grimm had mentioned it as well, it was the next Grimm or something like that. Apart of her wanted to kill it right there and now. End it all, no ritual, no heart feeding or whatever Grimm called it. But Bowser was there and four Hammer Bros. And she was tired, her castle was burning to the ground and if she didn't do something now it would be reduced to ashes.

Before Bowser left, Peach took note of the creature, it seemed to be rather close to Bowser. "All right little guy," said Bowser as he made his way to the front entrance. "you're no longer a small shrimp, your bigger and tougher now. Your dad's gonna be proud." The small Grimmchild made a strange noise in agreement and flew around Bowser excitedly. Peach got anger. Anger that Bowser was fine with her castle burning. Anger that he smiled. Anger that the small Grimmchild was no more than a tool for Grimm and his ritual. And Bowser was fine with it. Or maybe he was clues, either way. Peach was furious.

"HEY BOWSER!" yelled Peach. Bowser turned quickly at Peach's fury. "WHY? ARE YOU THAT STUPID? DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE WHO YOUR WORKING WITH?"

Bowser was at first taken aback by Peach's angry, but it quickly faded as he smiled at her. "It's okay Peach. I'll build you a new castle, a much cooler one. And trust me, I know what I'm doing." Bowser walked out through the front entrance, his troops followed suit. Peach's anger only grew at Bowser's stupidity. She was so close to charging at him and ramming him off her bridge and into the water. Toad came up to her and spoke.

"Peach! We need to leave; the castle is falling apart!"

At first, Peach wanted to ignore him and run toward Bowser, but then she looked around her castle. Carpets were in a blaze, wooden frames falling from the ceiling, her troops running and screaming as they ran out through the front entrance or even the windows. Everything was burning in front of her, and she had to accept it.

"Get everyone out as fast as possible, leave no one behind." She said sternly.

"Right away" replied Toad.

While toad went around gathering the other troops, Peach went toward the basement. She had to make sure E Gadd was all right. Toadette and Quirrel most likely were there with him, hopefully, they would make it out. She came to the basement door and saw Quirrel carrying E Gadd and Toadette was by his side. She ran up to them and was shocked by E Gadd's stat.

"He'll be all right." Said Quirrel.

"P-Peach?" croaked E Gadd.

"Not now E Gadd will talk later. Right now, we need to get out."

They ran together toward the entrance door and were almost there. Then the ceiling around the entrance door collapsed, blocking their exit. Peach cursed softly and looked around to see if there was another way out. The door that led deeper into her castle was gathering fire so that was out. The others started looking too, hoping to find some way out. The air was starting to get thin as the smoke grew around them. The fires kept expanding and expending which only worsened the state of the castle. Toadette started coughing and Peach soon joined her, but Quirrel seemed all right. His mask no doubts keeping him safe. Soon Peach found her exit, a nearby window. It wasn't blocked by flames or debris unlike the rest, so it seemed their best option.

They started their path to the window. If there was no fire this would've been a simple walk up the stairs but with the fire spreading, they had no choice but to zig-zag their way through the flames. Peach's exhaustion started to get to her. The constant fighting she endured as well as the still building smoke were starting to get to her. Halfway up the stairs, her legs gave way, blocking the others path.

"Peach!" screamed Toadette.

She went up to Peach and asked if she could get back up. Peach muttered some response but neither Toadette nor Quirrel could make it out. Peach's eyes started drifting off, she was so close from passing out.

"I'll take E Gadd, you take her!" said Toadette to Quirrel. Quirrel didn't question or hesitate, he grabbed Peach and slung her over his shoulder and marched on toward the window. When they get close to the widow, Quirrel kicked it, shattering the glass. They looked down below and saw the nearby river. It was better than the ground they both thought. The fire started to intensify around them, and they decided it was now or never. Toadette jumped out first and Quirrel quickly followed suit. The fall only lasted a few seconds and soon they were deep in water. They quickly swam up to the surface and made their way to the shore. Peach woke up coughing out some of the water she inhaled, E Gadd did the same.

All four of them soon gathered themselves and sat in silence, looking up at Peach's castle as it continued to burn. They were tired, drenched and sat in silence. Peach could here her troops and servants up the hill, some were yelling at each about how they let this happen, some were crying as the castle burned or the injury they carried. But soon they settled down, all of them simply looked up at the castle, saw its walls crumble and become nothing before their very eyes. Peach was unaware of the tears flowing out of her eyes, everything her people worked for was falling before her. The silence continued, no one went home, no felt tired enough to sleep, everyone was as there to listened to the flames crackle away.

Far from the castle, at the edge of the forest, Grim stood tall as he watched the castle burn before him. Bowser soon joined him with the Grimmchild resting on his left shoulder. "Do you think… she's okay?"

Grimm turned and looked at Bowser. "She'll be fine. Princess Peach is a lot tougher than she looks."

"I know she's tough it's just- "

"You care about her."

Bowser went silent.

"Let's go, we have a ritual to complete."


	9. Regrouping

It was an hour past midnight, the cool air of the dessert laid across the ground. A sign to all inhabitants that it was time to head inside to stay warm until the blistering heat of midday was upon them. High in the sky, a vesicle could be seen from the ground. It was an average-sized spacecraft but from its look along it seemed it could only fit a few people.

  


Those that saw it from below assumed right, as three people were currently inside as it flew over the sands of the Dessert kingdom. Its destination was most likely the Mushroom Kingdom.

  


"Good thing we dropped off Fox before picking up your friend." Said Boba Fett in the pilot seat. "Other why's, we wouldn't have much room."

  


"Agreed." Said Samus from behind.

  


Across from her was her friend from the Smash Bros Tournament. He had black soulless eyes, a white shell-like head, a pure black body, and a grey cloak covering him. This small friend was Knight.

  


"So," she said as she clapped her hands together. "what else is in your kingdom?"

  


Samus had been asking questions about Knight's kingdom of Hallownest. When she and Boba landed, his home seemed dead and miserable. But she was still happy to see his home even if it wasn't what she expected. They found him in (what they assumed) his hometown of Dirtmouth. He and Hornet were eating their evening meal in one of the small houses when they arrived, and he was happy to see Samus. They shared their food with them and got to know more of the others who lived in Dirtmouth. Boba and Hornet, with their blunt attitude, seemed to get along.

  


Soon after their meal, Samus told Knight of Quirrel and how Peach thought it was a good idea for him to come and meet him. Knight agreed and said his farewells and now was upon Samus's magical ship. Or at least, to Knight it was magic.

  


Knight wrote with his quill in his Hunter's Journal. He wrote; _There's an area named Queens Garden. It was made to honor the queen of Hallownest._

  


"Oh cool. We got to check that out someday."

  


"Uh, Samus?" said Boba.

  


"What?" Samus got up from her seat and joined him at the front.

  


Samus's eyes went wide at what she saw, Peach's castle was on fire. Burning to the ground and would soon be reduced to ashes. Her heart started to pound. _What if Peach was hurt? _She thought. She had learned to trust Peach's skills over time, but this was a whole new level. Her girlfriend's home was burning!

  


"Boba, fly over and release the ship's water tanks."

  


"Got it."

  


Boba flew the ship over Peach's castle and released a flood of water over the castle. Most of the heavy flames were immediately put out, leaving only small clusters of fire that weren't effected thanks to some cover in the rumble. Afterward, Boba turned the ship around and went in for a landing. He landed in an open area between the castle and the forest.

  


"Seems we missed all the fun." Said Boba.

  


"That's my girlfriend's castle you're talking about." Samus said as she glared at Boba. Before she continued, Knight was pulling at her leg. He looked up at her and said nothing as he pointed in the direction of the ship's door. Samus understood what he said. "Right, just look for Peach."

  


The three companions left the ship and made their way to the castle. They walked by multiple troops and castle servants as they looked for Peach and Quirrel. Near the castle, they noticed troops using ice flowers to put out wat remain of the fire. The castle thankfully wasn't close to collapsing, but the damage was fatal. There were burn marks shattered windows, and the interior was a whole other story. Soon Samus caught site of Peach, she seemed to be talking to Toad, Toadette and some, bug guy. She assumed it must be Quirrel.

  


"Peach!" Samus called out. She ran up to Peach and gave her a tight hug. Peach was surprised but was glad to see Samus regardless.

  


"Hey, Samus." Peach replied.

  


"Oh my god babe, are you okay? What happened here?"

  


"I'll explain later. Right now, I've got a castle to fix."

  


As the two talked, Knight looked around his surroundings. The land he was in was strange, floating blocks, mushroom head people. He remembered seeing them at the Smash brothers Tournament, but only briefly. As he looked around, that's when he saw him, Quirrel.

  


Knight walked up to him and just stared up at him, he didn't know what to say.

  


"Hello, my little friend." Said Quirrel. "It's been a while, how have you been?"

  


Knight brought out his book and quill and wrote. He showed it to Quirrel, it read; _Been doing a lot. _

  


"You write now? Good to see we can communicate." He gave the book back.

  


"You must be Quirrel." Said Samus as she walked up to them both. "Names Samus."

  


"Nice to meet you, Peach told me about you briefly. She seems fond of you."

  


Samus blushed slightly. "I'm glad Peach thinks of me that way."

  


"I see you've met Quirrel" said Toadette. "You should see this guy in action, he knows how to swing a sword and move around easily. He did a great job helping Peach escape the castle."

  


This got Samus's attention. "Wait, you saved Peach?"

  


"Quirrel nodded. "She collapsed in the smoke so I-" Before Quirrel could finish Samus was shaking his hand.

  


"Thank you so much, I owe you." Samus suddenly noticed Knight, who had been just standing and listening. "Oh sorry."

  


Knight shrugged.

  


"I have so many questions as to how you got here my small friend." Said Quirrel. "We have a lot to catch up on."

  


"Indeed." Said Peach as she joined in. "We'll talk once we've found a subtle place to stay. Toadette."

  


Toadette walked over. "Yes?"

  


"Do you think we could get our guests a place to stay in the nearby town for a little while? I'd offer my guest rooms but…" Peach looked over to her burnt castle, the rooms would defiantly not be cozy.

  


"Sure, you guys can stay at my place." Toadette said cheerfully.

  


"Great, once we're there I'll explain what happened here."

  


"Sounds good." Replied Samus.

  


* * *

  


It was 2 am. Peach, Samus, Knight, Boba, and Quirrel were all spending the night at Toadette's house. Toadette had a spare bedroom for Peach and Samus, while the boys got the coach's in her living room. The rest of the castle troops and servants went to their respected homes.

  


The boys and Toadette were fast asleep while Peach caught Samus up on what happened.

  


"So, there this, cult?" asked Samus.

  


"Basically. Grimm seems to think he's doing the right thing by feeding this… heart. But his Grimmkin, as he calls them, have this sinister nature to them." Peach let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her face. "It's all a mess."

  


"I should've been here."

  


"What difference would it make?"

  


"I… I don't know at least I could've been here." Samus hung her head down.

  


Peach put her hand on Samus's knee. "Hey, you're here now."

  


Samus smiled. "Yeah…" they sat in comfortable silence before Samus spoke again. "We should get some sleep."

  


"Right."

  


Samus and Peach laid down on the guest bed and cuddled up next to each other. With Peach's back up against Samus under the covers. Samus nuzzled her face up in Peach's neck to get stay snug and close to her. After everything that happened while she was gone, she didn't want to leave Peach.

  


* * *

  


Quirrel couldn't sleep.

  


He tossed and turned as he laid on the couch. Across from him, the one named Boba Fett slept peacefully. Although Quirrel wondered how he slept with his armor on. Knight was wide awake, he sat upright in the living room chair, seemingly spacing out as he sat.

  


Quirrel got up from the coach, Knight noticed and looked in his direction. "It's okay," Quirrel said quietly. "Just going outside."

  


Quirrel opened the front door and sat on the front deck bench Toadette owned. He simply sat down quietly and looked up at the stars. His mind jumping from one thought to the next. Soon he heard the door open and Knight was out with him.

  


"Do you not require sleep?" asked Quirrel.

  


Knight shook his head.

  


"I see."

  


Knight sat beside Quirrel and looked up at the stars with him. They sat quietly in peace. The only sounds being the crickets chirping in the night.

  


"Hey… Knight?"

  


Knight looked at him.

  


"Why did you leave? Why did you leave me at the blue Lake?"

  


Knight said nothing before pulling out his book. He wrote _I didn't understand the meaning of you being there. I'm still not used to emotions yet. _

  


"I see… you were one of the Pale King's failed vessels. Monomon mentioned that I believe."

  


Quirrel looked back to stars. He finally understood why Knight had left him. And… it felt good knowing why he left. He suddenly felt something grip around his waist. He looked down and saw Knight hugging him. Quirrel was speechless, this vessel was showing signs of emotion that would have disappointed the Pale King. And he was grateful for it.

  


"I'm glad to see you too my little friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well the gangs all here!  
The next few chapters are basically Peach fighting against the Grimm Troupe.  
So this story is going to be over soon. Let me know what you think.


	10. The Red Cave

A large cave opening laid before Toad. Its sharp-cornered ceiling loomed over him as he walked inside, turning on the light strapped to his head as he did so. The cave walls illuminated as the light gleamed off them, giving the cave a colorful look. It was welcoming despite the darkness that surrounded him. Toad never had much interest in exploring caves since they were usually dangerous, moles, bats, gloombas, bottomless pits. They all scared him. But he liked how this one seemed to have some beauty to it.

But he sadly wasn't here for sightseeing.

He continued to go deeper, jumping over pits as they came. Avoiding bats as they tried to thrash at him. The cave wasn't bad all things considered. But as he got deeper, he noticed an ominous red light that grew as he ventured further into the cave. He knew if he continued with his light on, they would notice him and know where to find him. He turned it off and knew the cave became more dangerous without it.

Without it, he couldn't make out where pits were and knew he needed to be careful. He took small steps as he made his way to the red glow. With each step, he tested the ground to make sure he didn't lose his balance. If he fell, he'd be dead and his recon mission would be a failure. He took more steps and the red glow became bigger and bigger as he got closer, he started to feel anxious as he got closer to his goal. He started to take quick steps and he got faster as he was about to reach the turn in the tunnel which angled downward and lead to the left. His foot slipped and he began falling, but he quickly put both hands and feet on the side of the pit and with as much force as possible, pushed himself off into the air. He grabbed the ledge across from where he fell and climbed up. He thankfully made it across the hidden pit and let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

He continued down the cave and went much slower after his near-death experience. Soon the cave came to a big open area. It was shaped like a dome with ridged cones spiking from the ground and ceiling. In the middle of the chamber was a large red, intimidating looking tent. Accompanied by a few smaller looking ones as well. The red glow of the tent, added with the beauty of the cave, gave off a hellish red to the walls of the cave. It added to the sinister look of the Grimm Troupe. Toad examined the area carefully, looking for any weak points he and his allies could use. Sadly, security was tight. Multiple Fire Bros were on patrol, some even walking with a few of the Grimmkin who wielded their deadly torches. In the air, Para Troopa's were flying in around the tent. No signs of Goomba's or Hammer Bros so at least there was that. But still, this wasn't going to be easy. No other tunnels were leading into this dome area and with only one way in or out, it wasn't looking good.

It would half to be a frontal assault, something Toad wasn't happy with. _Time to leave _he thought. He turned around and carefully made his way back out of the cave. Peach wasn't going to be thrilled.

* * *

Toadette's house had become Peach's new base of operation, with the castle in repairs, it would half to suffice. Toadette didn't mind, in fact, she was glad. She wanted to help Peach in fighting back against the Grimm Troupe and avenging the now burnt castle.

Boba Fett mainly remained as a guard for the house and Samus's ship. He parked Samus's ship in Toadette's backyard and made sure nothing happened to it. He wanted to make sure none of Bowser's troops of the Grimmkin would make a move.

Knight was acting as an adviser. He knew the Grimm Troupe more than anyone, so his knowledge would be useful in their fight against them Even if he didn't talk a lot. And as a fighter as well. Peach and Samus still remember his skills from the Super Smash Brothers Tournament. They knew not to mess with him.

Samus and Quirrel were Peach's personal guard. They were always by her side and gave her advice if need be. Peach knew they were both skilled in combat so when the final fight comes, she knew she could count on them.

And Toad was a recon scout, who still wasn't back yet.

"It's been a while." Said Peach as she stood over Toadette's dinner table. A map had been placed on it showing all the Mushroom Kingdom. Blue pins were placed in certain spots indicating where they had searched. Most of the map was covered in them.

"At least we've covered most of the kingdom." Said Samus who stood next to her.

"That's why I'm worried, they might've captured Toad."

"I don't know, he's small but I've seen him jump. He skilled. In fact, everyone in your kingdom can jump well."

"What is your plan when we learn of their location?" asked Quirrel.

"That all depend on where they are" replied Peach. "If they're in an open field, a full-frontal assault would be easy, but with no element of surprise. If it's in a forest, we can't move my troops very well."

Samus and Quirrel looked at each other. Peach was still, if not more, stressed after her castle burned. They were worried for her and both thought she needed rest. But they both knew that whatever Grimm was planning was important. And resting would half to wait.

"Hey, Samus." Said Boba through Samus's wrist device.

"Yes, Boba?"

"That little guy is back."

Samus went out of the front door of the houses to look for Toad. She looked until she caught sight of him jogging toward the house. As he got closer, she could tell he had been running without a single stop. His breath was ragged, and he was panting non-stop. Samus looked up toward the roof of the house where Boba sat. "Thanks, Boba," Samus said into her device. Boba didn't respond, he merely gave her a small salute. And went back to keeping watch.

Toad was now in front of the houses and was still out of breath. "You… won't like what… you're about to here…" he said.

Samus led him inside and got him a bottle of water. He sat at the table with a map of the kingdom. "So," Peach said. "where are they?"

Toad took the only red pin on the table and pierced it on the map of the location, Donut Cave. He explained the terrain, the way through and how there was only one way in and out. He mentioned how tight the security is and how they had set up a few large tents that were glowing red.

"Great." Peach sighed. "So much for marching my army through."

"So what?" said Samus. "We've faced worse."

"I know, but still."

Knight walked up toward the table and wrote something in his book. Once he finished, he handed it to Peach.

"Whoa, this is long." Said Peach.

"What does it say?" asked Samus.

"He says, 'The only to get rid of the Grimm Troupe to my knowledge, is to destroy the lantern that brought them here. Once it is taken care of, the troupe will disappear and be banished from every entering this kingdom ever again. We cannot kill Grimm in the Nightmare Realm. If we do, that completes the ritual, and the endless song will continue. As well as give birth to the next Grimm.'"

"Alright, sounds easy enough. Destroy the lantern, they leave." Said Samus.

"It does sound easy, and this lantern is most likely in that tent of theirs." Peach started to think of how they should take down Grimm. "What's this Nightmare realm?" she asked Knight.

Knight wrote again and gave it back to Peach. "' It's a place where the final part of the ritual takes place. It's also where the Nightmare Heart is.'"

"A heart?" asked Samus.

Knight nodded to Samus.

Peach thought back to what Grimm said, about how he needs to feed this heart he worships. But why? What is his end game? What would he gain from feeding a heart? At this point it didn't matter, Grimm was the enemy, plain and simple.

"I'm not too fond of killing." Said Quirrel, who as he spoke everyone turned to him. "But what if we were to kill Grimm himself? That way when we banish the troupe, he can never go to another world again."

Everyone went silent. Quirrel made a good point if they just killed him there would be no more Troupe. Wherever Grimm went, they followed, even in death. But they didn't know that. Either way, if they killed Grimm in the mortal world, he would never reincarnate. And when the lantern is destroyed, the Troupe would be banished without a leader. Knight wrote in his book again and handed it to Peach.

"Knight says, 'He won't go down easily, and he has bowser. Plus, their armies too.'"

"We should still try," said Quirrel. "We can't move troops in so it's up to us."

"Well, I might have an idea." Everyone looked at Peach. "I and Knight will confront Grimm and Bowser, keep their attention on us. In the meantime, Samus and Quirrel will move through the area and destroy the lantern."

"How will we know where it is," asked Quirrel.

"Toad, you said there was more than one tent, right?"

"Yup." Toad said.

"Grimm is most likely in the biggest one so will go in there. You two will check the smaller ones."

"How do we enter without detection?" asked Samus as she looked over the map.

"I and Knight will make it seem like we're surrendering."

"Wait what?"

"While everyone has their attention on us, you and Quirrel will slip by."

"You can't just expect me to not worry while you enter this cultist home, do you?"

Peach turned to Samus and raised an eyebrow. "Samus, I've been kidnapped hundreds of times and fought demons. Why are you worried now?"

Samus went quiet. Truth was, after the fire of Peach's castle she was just worried. Grimm was different than Bowser's simple kidnappings. He had a bigger reason as to why he did what he did, it just scared her. Whenever Peach was in danger Samus always seemed over-protective. Ever since their relationship started Samus felt this urge to protect her.

"Sorry I… I'm just scared of what might happen." She hung her head down.

Peach put her hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, I get it." She went back to the map. "Alright, let's do this. Everyone knows what there doing?"

Everyone nodded.

"Let's head out."

* * *

At the entrance to the largest tent stood two Dry Bones. Both had been on guard duty for about an hour and were still wondering when Princess Peach would show up with her forces. It was scary, but they trusted Bowser, even if he was hot-headed. The Grimm Troupe, however, were. . . different.

Both were skeptical of what Grimm's true intentions were and worried if Bowser might have bit off more then he could chew. And Grimm's followers were no different. They were unsettling and had a sinister yet playful attitude.

One of the Dry Bones looked up toward one of Grimm's lackeys, he... she... it, had a long neck and it just looked down at him, staring and never blinking.

"So…" said the Dry Bone. "when does our shift end again?"

"Clip, you've asked me three times now. It's not for another three hours."

"Right…" he looked back up toward the long-necked bug… it was still staring.

"Hey, look!" said the other Dry Bone.

Clip looked where he was pointing, it was Princess Peach! She was here! Alone? And she was just walking casually toward the tent as if she was just walking through a park or field. She was quickly surrounded by Bowser's troops, as well as Grimm's Grimmkin. But Peach remained unfazed. Clip also soon took note of the small creature that walked with her. He looked about the size of a Goomba and wore a purple-gray cloak, with a blade on his back. His head had horns, and his eyes looked the same as the long-necked bug.

Soon Peach and her partner were at the entrance, every guard on duty had their attention them as they stood by the entrance. Their weapons were drawn and pointing at them, ready for a fight.

"I wish to speak to Grimm." She said.

The troops and guards looked at each other. Unsure if that was what she was here for. A Nightmare Grimmkin came forth and spoke to her. "Weapons please."

"I carry none, except my friend." Peach gestured toward Knight.

The Grimmkin glared toward him. "_You_. The master will not be happy to see you."

Knight said nothing.

"I'm aware that my friend caused some trouble in the past, but that's why I'm here. To make things right."

The Grimmkin looked at them both and nodded slowly "Very well, hand over your weapon turncoat."

Knight handed his weapon over and the troops led them inside the large sinister-looking red tent. All the while no noticed two individuals slipping by unnoticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget the pit Toad almost fell in.
> 
> It will be important later;)


	11. The Dance of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So real talk for a minute. 
> 
> I've been dealing with burnout with this story. And to top it off there's a pandemic, I have school work, and I need to go to work soon (I work at a grocery store). I'm not proud of this story, I wish I had planned it out like my last one and another story I'm currently working on. I'll still finish this one but I'm sorry if it goes a certain way you may not like and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not responding to comments. Whenever I get one I get excited but I don't how to respond so I end up not responding. But please know that your comments are appreciated and they make my day. From now one I'll respond to each one, no matter how short or long. Same goes for my future stories as well. 
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter, after this theirs one more and then that will be the end. 
> 
> And also trigger warning; there is a character death and blood so be warned.

Peach and Knight walked down the corridor of the main tent as two Grimmkin Nightmares escorted them. Peach held her hands in front of her and remained calm while walking, she had to, or it would be a dead giveaway. She was hoping Quirrel and Samus would find the Nightmare Lantern soon, that way no unnecessary fighting would acquire. As she got closer inside, she heard shouting. The sounds of fire and someone's heavy footsteps could be heard it and only got louder as she walked in.

Soon the shouts became clear. Bowser. 

She entered the room and what from she saw it through her through a loop. Grimm was moving around the room in quick succession, throwing flames and clawing at Bowser, who was doing his best to dodge. Bowser was slow, he wasn't made for speed. He was made for pure brute strength and nothing else, so when Grimm lunged around the room he failed to dodge and block most of his attacks. Bowser was roaring in pain but still stayed standing. First, Peach thought Bowser and Grimm were no longer working with each other and a bit of hope sparked inside her.

However, she quickly noticed the Grimmkin in the room weren't fighting as well. She took noticed that some of them that just sat upon a small stadium around Grimm and Bowser. They just sat and watched the fight unfold. Soon Bowser stopped moving and he fell to his knees, and then Grimmchild appeared out of thin air as fire enveloped around him briefly. Grimm walked up to Bowser and offered his hand. Bowser took it firmly and rose from the ground.

"Sorry..." he grumbled.

"It is alright Lord Bowser, you'll win soon. It just takes practice. " Grimm turned toward Peach. "Ah, Princess Peach. I wasn't expecting you." 

Peach took a deep breath to calm herself, though her heart still bested fast. "I came to talk." 

"Well, we have time before Bowser is ready to-" he then noticed Knight standing behind Peach. "_You_." 

Within the blink of an eye, Grimm stood I front of Knight, looming over him. Knight held back the urge to grab his nail. Grimm's red eyes glared at him, he looked very angry and he was. Grimm had loathed the day Knight turned his back on the ritual and now here he was, standing beside Peach. 

"_Traitor_." Grimm hissed. 

"Look," said Peach who stepped in between Grimm and Knight. "I know what he did was wrong but that's why I'm here. To fix things, and to discuss the meaning of this heart you spoke of." 

Grimm examined her. "You must understand, it is hard to forgive those that would rather see the heart decay." 

"I might understand if you give us a chance, and a chance for my friend to redeem himself." 

Grimm looked back and forth between Peach and Knight. He wasn't sure if they were being honest or not. He wanted nothing more than to bite Knight's head off and dispose of his corpse into a ditch. That and he burned her castle, so why would she come to talk? Before Grimm shoved Peach away, he realized something, what if she took part in the ritual? Bowser and he were getting nowhere in the first ritual and while he didn't show it to Bowser, he was getting impatient. Peach, however, from what Bowser had said, would be a good candidate. She was skilled and could hold her own and could part take in the ritual. Granted she didn't light the Lantern but she could more or less help Bowser in the dance of death. He figured it was worth it, so he played dumb.

"Have you become desperate Princess Peach? To come and negotiate after I and my Grimmkin attacked your home? It seems, unusually." 

"I'll admit, I wasn't pleased with the idea at first. But you've located yourselves in this cave so my troops can't enter to battle you. I'm simply... out of options." 

"I don't by it." Said Bowser from behind Grimm. "I bet Mario and green stache are around here somewhere." 

"The . . . Plumbers?" Said Grimm as he looked back at Bowser. 

"Yeah them, I bet she's stalling for time." 

Peach kept a calm and composed look. Bowser was indeed right, she was stalling, but stalling for different people. "Mario and Luigi aren't here. It's just me and Knight." 

"Hmm. . ." Grimm thought to himself. "Lord Bowser, get some rest. Peach, traitor, come with me. I'd like to discuss something with you." 

"You're just gonna-" 

"Lord Bowser, please." Grimm raised his hand as he spoke, silencing Bowser. 

"Come." Grimm began walking away. 

Peach followed with Knight by her side while Bowser glared at them. He didn't trust them; he knew Peach always had a trick up her sleeve. So, he stormed off, he wanted to make sure the Lantern was safe. 

Knight took a looked around the tent, all the Grimmkin were looking at him with the same look of hatred, they all despised him, the Nightmare Heart almost died because of his betrayal and they weren't happy that he was here. Soon they were out of the main room and were in a dark hallway that led to a small room with nothing in it, most likely off to the side of the tent. 

"So, what is this, your room?" Asked Peach. 

"No just a small room where the ritual once took place." Grimm looked at Knight as he spoke, he remembered Knight's failed attempts to complete the ritual in the Nightmare Realm very well. "I want to talk about you partaking in the ritual Princess Peach." 

"Me?" 

"Yes, Lord Bowser has told me of your skill. And I'm afraid Lord Bowser is too weak to finish even the first dance of flames of this ritual." He sounded disappointed. 

"But I didn't light the lantern." 

"Lord Bowser can still fight. I merely want you to assist him." Grimm turned to Knight. "As for you, I'll have my Grimmkin and Lord Bowser's men watch you. Just in case." 

"Can you explain this ritual then?" 

"Of course." Grimm snapped his fingers and a chair appeared behind Peach and himself through a puff of red mist. 

Peach took her seat while Knight stood beside her since he wasn't given a chair. It was Grimm's way if telling Knight that he wasn't happy with him being here. 

"It works like this; with each ritual, a dance of flame and death must commence. The lighter of the lantern must fight the Troupe Master in a duel, with the child of course." Peach nodded. "We will fight twice, once here in the living realm, and once in the Nightmare Realm. Where the heart resides." 

Peach's face went a bit pale; this talk of a nightmare realm gave her flashbacks of demons she and her friends had fought. "What does feeding the heart do?" 

"After the flames of a fallen kingdom have been given, its power fuels the heart to continue beating. Its... more or less my job. But I need to be able to do my job. So, when I'm killed in the second ritual, my spirit as well as the troupe, will be transferred into the next reincarnation. Which is what the child is." 

"So... you feed this heart as your job... and to do this forever you reincarnate yourself to continue doing so?" 

"Yes." 

Peach thought back to when Knight was giving her information about the Grimm Troupe. He mentioned how Brumm, later known as Nymm, had helped him in banishing the troupe. Brumm had seemed sad that he joined the troupe, he had regretted it as Knight had said. And when he was free from the Troupe, he had forgotten everything and his real name was Nymm. Peach thought about how Bowser had lit the lantern. Could that mean Bowser will be forced to join? Forced to change his name and forever be loyal to this cult?

"If Bowser goes with this, does he, owe a debt to you?" She asked cautiously. She wasn't sure if Grimm would be insulted by such a question. 

"No, but in a way, he will need to care for my next reincarnation. Which this one," he nodded toward Knight. "Failed to understand." He said bitterly. "But if Lord Bowser chooses to join me, he is most welcomed." 

The gears in Peach's head started running faster. Grimm seemed to feed this heart as a duty of his. By any means necessary, whether it be burning a castle or causing havoc among kingdoms. That and Grimm was essentially keeping himself immortal by putting his spirit and power into this Grimmchild. On paper this seems alright, taking the flames of kingdoms and using them to feed some heart, and from fallen kingdoms. But this was different. Peach's kingdom still stood tall and Grimm had caused damage and flat out attacked her people. That and Knight had said that Grimmchild was like him in a way, a vessel for the next life of Grimm. With no choice in the matter. 

"Are all your followers from fallen kingdoms?" She asked. 

"More or less. They found the lantern and lit its fire. And with their homes in ruin where else could they go? And some even simply asked me if they could join." 

"Does Bowser know this?" 

Grimm was silent and looked away. 

"I knew it." Peach smirked. "You do this ritual and then whoever lit the lantern is forced to take care of you, is that it?" 

Grimm looked back with his eyes narrowed. "You make it sound as though I'm evil." Grimm got up from his seat and stepped forward, looking down at Peach. 

Peach wasn't scared this time, this time she was prepared and not backing down. She had a plan, and at this very moment, it was in motion. "You sure look the part." 

"You sound very confident for someone who just walked into the lions' den." Grimm hissed. "Are you prepared for what might come?" 

Peach smiled. "Try me." 

* * *

Samus and Quirrel saw Peach being escorted into the large red tent. With all the guards distracted they made their move and easily slipped into the large dome-like cave. They stayed silent, neither daring to speak as they stealthily moved beside the tent. One sound could easily bring unwanted attention as they moved, so they went as carefully as possible. They had to find the lantern and quick before Grimm realized she wasn't alone with Knight. Their part was simple, find it, and snuff it out like how Knight said. The problem was finding it.   
Stealth was made a bit easier thanks to Samus using a different colored suit that matched the colour of the tent that Toad described. If someone were to look at her and she was still, she would look as though she was part of the tent. As for Quirrel, Toadette and her friends were able to make a cloak that matched the colour of the tent. 

They soon came across a small tent right next to the bigger one, it didn't look big enough to contain the Lantern, but it wouldn't hurt to look. Samus quietly went in while Quirrel stayed on the lookout. 

The second Samus stepped inside she was face to face with . . . Something. It looked female, what with its fur coat around its neck and slim figure. But its bottom half was what appeared to be a slug-like body. Samus was about ready to attack when it spoke. 

"Oh, hello there." She said through its weird raspy breathing. "How can I help you?" 

Samus was silent for a moment. This. . . woman didn't think she was an intruder so she thought she could use it to her advantage. "Oh, hello miss..." 

"Call me Divine. You must be with that Bowser fellow." 

"Uh... yeah. Yes, I am. I'm sorry for bothering you I'm sort of new here. I was tasked with guarding the Nightmare Lantern, but I don't know where it is." 

"Oh, easy darling, the tent right behind the main one, can't miss it." 

"Okay. Thank you. Have a nice day." 

"Oh, I know I will." Divine's weird breathing continued as Samus left the tent. 

The moment she did she let out a sigh of relief. Quirrel took notice and was about to ask but Samus raised her hand the silence him. 

"You don't want to know." She whispered. 

They continue their quiet mission, staying close to the tent like rats crawling next to a wall. As they went along the tent the one Divine mentioned came into view. It was bigger than the one she just entered but not as large as the main tent. They quietly made their way to the entrance only to stop when they noticed two Koopa Troopa guards were standing in front. 

There weren't as many guards walking behind the tents thankfully so they wouldn't be noticed when they take them out. They came closer to the entrance and in a flash Samus turned into ball form and rolled past them, getting their attention. While they were distracted, Quirrel punched the on guard which got the other's attention which allowed Samus to knock him out with her canon with a quick THWACK. 

Samus quickly peeked inside the tent to see if anyone was inside. The coast was clear, so they dragged the unconscious Koopa Troopa's inside and laid them to the side. They continue down a small tunnel of the tent, weapons ready as an ominous red glow emanated from the back of the tent. As they came closer their eyes readjusted to the red glow and right before was the Nightmare Lantern. 

It was tall, black, a large, red, fierce fire was protruding from the top. From the bottom of the torch was a small looking cage, which held would seem to be coals flowing a mix of yellow and orange. 

Quirrel drew his sword and readied himself while Samus began charging her canon. Before coming they planned that Quirrel would his sword to hold open the cage while Samus shot a blast inside, destroying it. 

"Ready?" Asked Quirrel. 

"Yup." Replied Samus. 

Quirrel struck his blade into the cage and with all his strength he lifted the cage open which gave Samus the opening she needed. Samus was about to fire when suddenly a large fireball hit her from behind. Causing her to fire at the ground missing her target. The sudden attack caused Quirrel to withdraw his blade which allowed the cage to close. 

"I knew Peach had some friends here." Said Bowser as he emerged and stood before them. "So, who you want to fight?" 

Grimmchild appeared from behind him and rested on his shoulder. He looked between Samus and Quirrel and after looking at both he nodded toward Quirrel. 

"Alright, I'll take Samus." 

Bowser charged toward Samus and ran into her but kept going. Causing him to rip through the tent and into the small stadium in the large tent. Samus winced as the hardwood bashed into her armor. Once Bowser was through and in the open Samus turned into ball form and rolled away. While they fought, Quirrel was trying his best to hit Grimmchild. But the small creature was too quick. It would zip around in his face, bite, thrashing, spitting fire, and screaming all the while doing so.

Their stealth failed. 

* * *

Grimm, Knight, and Peach all turned their heads when a sudden loud crash could be heard. 

Grimm turned his attention back to Peach and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her from her seat. Peach could feel his fingers digging into her and his grip tightened as she struggled. Grimm's eyes were narrow, he was angry, and they clearly showed her that there would be no mercy from him. 

Knight drew his nail and jumped up to attack, but Grimm merely slammed Peach into him and threw them both down the hall they came down. Now they were in the same room as the others. Samus was firing off at Bowser while Grimmchild swooped around Quirrel's head. 

Grimm appeared in a poof of red smoke. "If you won't help in the ritual then you must die. As for your vessel." Grimm stood before Knight and bowed. "Let's finish this, child of Void and Wyrmm." 

Knight bowed in return. Even after his betrayal, Knight still showed his respect. 

Within seconds Grimm attacked Knight with a slash of his hand. Knight was able to dodge it but Grimm was quick to retaliate and started attacking with red fire emanating from his hands. Knight was playing defense and trying to find an opening. Grimm was fast, so the best strategy for him was to be patient and wait for the right moment. 

While Grimm had his attention on Knight, Peach went in for the attack with her golf club. Grimm easily deflected the attack, but Peach kept up the attack. This gave Knight his chance and slashed at Grimm's back. Grimm screeched in pain and was able to move away before Knight struck again. 

Now Grimm was playing defence as Peach and Knight continued to attack. Grimm stood between them both but with his speed, he easily blocked and deflected their attacks. It was almost like a dance. Neither side giving up. Neither giving their opponent an opening. 

_Both sides gracefully fighting..._ Grimm thought._ If only we were performing the ritual. _

The Grimmkin that were gathered inside watched in awe as their master fought and silently, they were cheering on Grimm for victory. As everyone fought, Quirrel finally got an idea of Grimmchild's pattern. He would fly around his head so he couldn't use his sword properly and then fly above and slap it a small ball of fire. Why the time Quirrel dodged it Grimmchild would he up close again. 

So, as he flew above him Quirrel used his quick reflexes and jumped up on the small stadium wall and then propelled off it toward Grimmchild. He didn't want to kill the small creature since it was a child, so instead of using his sword, he made his free hand into a fist. Before Grimmchild could react Quirrel punched him dead center on his face. Sending Grimmchild falling forward and hitting the ground hard. Quirrel came back down and checked to see if he was done for. 

Grimmchild was groaning in pain and stayed lying down on the ground. 

Quirrel sighed in relief and looked to see who needed help. Peach and Knight seemed to have Grimm under control, Samus however, wasn't so fortunate. Bowser was able to block and take most of Samus's shots and even though he wasn't as fast, his strength was more than enough to keep up with her. 

Quirrel joined the fight by running up and slashing at Bowser's left arm. He roared in pain and attempted to grab Quirrel but missed as Quirrel stepped back to dodge. Samus took the opening and fired at his head, causing Bowser more pain. After a few more back and forth attacks Samus and Quirrel, Bowser was starting to get tired more quickly, especially since he was already tired from trying to fight Grimm. He could keep up with Samus, but Quirrel was also quick and his speed with Samus was starting to take its toll on him. 

He was running out of breath and to top it off Samus kept up her constant shooting and Quirrel kept up his constant slashing with his blade. Soon Bowser couldn't take it and stopped moving. He fell to his knees and was breathing rapidly. He then fell forward with an "Oof" and was unconscious. 

They both turned their attention toward where Peach and Knight were, both were engaged with Grimm. They went both ran forward joined in, Samus stayed shooting from a distance while Quirrel went in up close. Samus didn't think Grimm would be able to handle all four of them, Peach up close using her assortment of weapons, Knight and his spells, Quirrel with his fast speed and blade, and herself with her missiles. 

She was wrong. 

Grimm blocked all of Peach's attacks and was more than fast enough to dodge Knight's spells and Quirrel's blade strikes. As for Samus's ranged attacks, Grimm simply dodged. However, in doing so, her attacks hit the small stadium as well as the Grimmkin watching. None of them seemed fast enough to hit him and it was as if he was toying with them. 

Soon the tent was in flames and burning to the ground, sparks and ashes were falling around them as they fought. The sounds of battle were all around them as well as the screaming of the fleeing Grimmkin and Bowser's troops who were present. 

Within seconds all the tents were burned to dust and all that stood was the Nightmare Lantern. The fighting continued and soon all the guards saw the onslaught before them. Grimm held his ground, not even one of them could land a blow on him. 

"Enough!" Shouted Grimm. "I've had enough of this ridiculous dude, time to end this." Grimm was hissing every word with anger; he was done with this. He just wanted the ritual to be done at this point. "Starting with you." 

Grimm looked over to Knight who was panting as he stood. As he walked over Peach ran up to Grimm to whack him with her frying pan. Only for Grimm to slap her across the face with the back of his hand, sending her flying backward on to the ground. Samus saw this and was suddenly fueled with rage as she aimed her cannon at him. She fired an ice missile and continued to keep fire more plasma at him. But he dodges it in the blink of an eye and was right up front with Samus. He kicked her hard in the gut and set her slamming into the cave wall. 

Knight held his ground as Grimm approached him. He uses his shadow dashed toward him hoping to cut through and then strike again from behind. But Grimm caught on quickly and grabbed him by his throat before he could dash. Grimm raised Knight and looked him dead in the eye and took his nail out of his hand and threw it away. 

Knight could feel the air leaving his lungs, could feel the lack of it as he tried to breathe. Grimm's fingers only tightened around his small throat and he enjoyed every second of it. He was getting his revenge for what Knight did to his troupe. Stopping to ritual, starving the child, preventing the Nightmare Heart from its flames. He would make him pay for it, all of it. Grimm then decided to put his other hand on Knight's shell-like head and started squeezing. Cracks began to appear on his shell and void started leaking out. 

Knight's vision was getting darker. 

Quirrel saw the whole thing happening. His friend was being killed before his eyes. Tears threaten to burst from his eyes as he watched in horror, but he refused to cry here. Peach and Samus were hurt and could barely move, it was up to him. While his body shook with exhaustion and stood back up on his feet and gripped his weapon firmly. 

"Hey!" 

Grimm stopped and looked to his left. Quirrel stood, his blade aimed at Grimm without any sign of fear. 

"Let my friend go." 

Grimm's anger grew. "I'll kill you afterward. Be-" 

Grimm's words were cut off as Quirrel surprised him by lunging forward at a quick speed. Grimm growled in pain and anger at the annoyance of his attack. Quirrel went in for a second strike and Grimm prepared himself to dodge. But Quirrel had finally figured out his pattern, whenever he dodged, he always moved to the side and circled back so he was behind his enemy to strike. So, when Grimm did exactly that when Quirrel went in for an attack, a turned around quickly and slashed his blade. His sword cut Grimm's hand, the blade cut deep, and blood came out quickly, staining the ground. 

Grimm attempted to use his magic and to attack but Quirrel was too quick. Grimm suddenly realized that Quirrel was about as quick as him. But how? He wasn't as fast earlier. Little to Grimm's knowledge, Quirrel's determination and love for his friend from Hallownest was what drove him. It fuelled his strength and speed as he dodged and struck Grimm. He was fighting for his friends, his new home, and wasn't going to let it go now. 

Soon Grimm picked up on Quirrel and found an opening, he grabbed him by his face and rammed him to the ground. Quirrel dropped his weapon and it landed next to Peach, who was still recovering. Grimm started to do what he did to Knight, squeeze his head until it was mush. He was using the hand that Quirrel cut and it hurt to use it, but he didn't care, he was impatient at this point. 

"None of you can stop this ritual." Hissed Grimm "NONE OF YOU!" 

While Grimm continued to yell at Quirrel, Peach, though bruised and beaten was fed up with Grimm. Threw gritted she got up and grabbed Quirrel's sword and ran up toward Grimm. 

In just a few seconds she impaled Grimm threw his back. 

Grimm's words stopped immediately once the blade struck home. Grimm looked down and saw it had pierced threw him and blood covered it. He let go of Quirrel's head and Quirrel moved away and saw what Peach had done, who still held the blade. Peach pulled it out causing Grimm to grasp and choke up the blood. 

He slowly began walking, nowhere, in particular, he was just walking aimlessly as his vision fazed in and out and as more blood leaked from his body. Soon he fell forward and continued to cough blood, through his dazed vision he saw the Grimmchild unconscious. He tried to reach out to him, his hand shaking and tears running down his face. 

"The... ritual . . . must continue. ." 

His hand fell and the colour from his eyes faded, he was no longer moving. He failed, failed his followers, the Nightmare Heart, and himself. All his work, gone. He had come so far in life, visited many kingdoms, brought together so many creatures of different places, all of it would be gone. It was his final thoughts right before his world went black. 

Peach walked over to Grimm's body and gave back Quirrel's sword. Despite all the trouble Grimm and his troupe caused, she pitied him. He believed in something he was proud of and was willing to do anything to accomplish it. She admired that and respected it. But now it was all gone, he was gone. His Grimm Troupe was over. 

Samus was finally able to stand and walked over, as was Knight, who still had void escaping his shell. 

"Peach. . . Are you okay?" Asked Samus. 

Peach looked at Samus. "I'll be fine." 

Bowser soon awake and stood up and looked around until he saw Grimm's unmoving body. "What the hell?" 

"It's over Bowser." Said Peach with a tone of clear exhaustion and irritation. "Just, go home and kidnap me next week." 

"Oh, you think I'm done. Well, I-" 

Before Bowser could continue a sudden rumble could be heard around the cave. Bowser's men looked around scared as well as Peach and her friends. Suddenly the Nightmare Lantern started to blaze its flame more fiercely and the rumbling sound got louder. The Grimmkin were suddenly in flames and their bodies morphed into the fire and went toward the Lantern. It made the fire blaze even bigger with each Grimmkin added and its heat enveloped threw the whole cavern. The rumbling soon turned to sounds of rocks and earth cracking, the cave was collapsing. Bowser's men screamed and ran as boulders fell and the floor of the cave opened. 

"We need to leave!" Shouted Samus 

As they ran Peach noticed Grimmchild was still unconscious and was about to fall down a chasm. She quickly ran over and picked him up and cradled him as she ran. Grimmchild started to wake up, but only a little but. What he did know was that he was being saved by someone he felt warm and soft, so he didn't bother to struggle. Bowser noticed, and he wasn't happy. 

"Hey! That's my demon child!" 

He started to run after Peach, bashing large boulders to pebbles as they fell on him. Peach and cue ran back up the dark tunnel they came in and were going fast. But that was also a problem. Toad had mentioned a large gap in the cave that was almost impossible to see in the dark, if they weren't careful, they would end up falling down and never seen again. 

"Remember the pit Toad mentioned!" She shouted to her friends upfront. 

Sure, enough Samus stopped fast enough before falling down the pit. She was always thankful for her night vision on her helmet. Samus took the first jump, Knight took the second, and Quirrel took the third. Peach was about to go jump when another loud and heavy rumble shook the cave causing more Rocks to fall. One hit Peach's shoulder causing her to fall over into the pit. Samus screamed in fear but thankfully Peach grabbed the ledge just in time. Her other hand was holding on to Grimmchild's wing and her grip was slipping due to the constant shaking. 

"Peach! Toss the child here!" Said Quirrel. Peach obliged and tossed Grimmchild. Quirrel caught him held him close. 

"Peach! Get back here!" Yelled Bowser from down the tunnel. 

Peach put both hands on the ledge and put her feet to the wall and pushed off and grabbed the other side. Samus was helping her up when she saw a fireball heading toward her. She was about to get hit when Knight blocked it with his Dream Shield just in time. Bowser was racing toward them and growling loudly as he ran forward and leaped toward them. Due to Bowser's anger, he failed to remember the pit and as he leaped, he realized the terrible mistake he made. As he fell, he attempted to grab Peach's feet but missed as Samus pulled her up in time. 

Bowser fell down the pit screaming and was soon gone down into the darkness. 

It wasn't long before they escaped the cave, and just in time. The second they fled out of the cave a loud sound of rock and boulder could be heard from the entrance of the cave. A thick layer of dust erupted from it and some of the rocks at the entrance fell from the mere shaking. And yet that wasn't it. A sudden flash of red flew out from the cave and flew up into the air and burned brightly in the night's sky. It was the flame if the Nightmare Lantern. It circled in the sky and started to collapse in on itself right before blowing up and small sparks rained softly from the sky. Soon the evaporated and nothing was left. 

Grimmchild was now fully awake and screeched and flew out of Quirrel's arms and continued to hiss at him. He still remembered how he had punched him. Peach slowly approached him and let out her hand. Grimmchild looked at it cautiously for a moment, and then out of nowhere started snuggling it, like a cat. He soon got up from the ground and flew up and rested on Peach's shoulder and started nuzzling her neck. Peach herself was very confused and had no idea why he was acting this way. 

"So... What just happened?" Asked Samus. 

"I believe with Grimm dead, the troupe had no reason to stay here, so the Lantern left. Along with the Grimmkin." Said Quirrel. 

Knight let out a sigh. 

"For now, let's head back to Toadette's house. Especially you Knight, you need healing." Said Peach as she pointed to his shell. 

Knight nodded in agreement. 

_It's ove_r Peach thought. _Finally, over._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Grimm fans but I felt this was necessary for the story, but it's okay Grimmchild is alive at least. And in case your wondering, Bowser is alive. He's come back from worse. 
> 
> See ya in the next one.


	12. Peace

The next day that went by was busy

Peach's castle was still under construction but was well on its way to being finished. She also informed the other kingdoms to do throw searches of their kingdoms, to make sure no Grimmkin were still around. Bowser still didn't make an appearance, but Peach knew better, she had seen him come back from worse. King Boo and his ghosts also helped in the construction of Peach's Castle. He and Peach made a deal that if he helped rebuild her home, she'd rebuild his. Professor E Gadd was recovering well, he still had bruises from the Hammer Bros that attacked him, but he was fine. Even after the Grimm Troupe were gone, he still researched them. Peach and the other kingdoms also agreed that if the Nightmare Lantern were to ever return, it should be reported immediately.

However, the more interesting thing to happen was Grimmchild. He wasn't violent like how he was in the cave, or as violent as Knight described him when he had him. He was like a pet cat almost. 

"What do you think of this?" asked Peach as she stood on Toadette's small balcony. Grimmchild was sitting on her shoulder as always. 

Samus came out from the open door. "Well, there's still a chance he could become the next Grimm." 

"True so I'll keep my eyes open" Peach gave Grimmchild a spacious look. In response, he bumped his head against hers. "But I'm sure he's all good. I'm sure we could take care of him. It'll be like having a cat." 

"So, this is our first pet together." Asked Samus teasingly. 

"He needs a new name, something to start fresh. What do you think?" 

"Hmmm… how bout…. Smokey?" 

"Smokey. Do you like it?" 

Grimmchild looked at Samus and crawled off Peach's shoulder and went up to Samus. He stared at her for five long seconds until he started snuggling into her neck. 

"Alright, alright, glad you like." Chuckled Samus. 

There was a small knock at the balcony door. It opened and Quirrel was there. "Hello, Peach. May I have a word with you?" 

"Sure, what is it?" 

"Well," he rubbed his arm nervously. "I was wondering If I could live… here." 

"Oh, here in the Mushroom Kingdom? Yeah sure but, what about Hallownest?" 

"I sadly have nothing back there. No home, family, only my friend Knight. But I also want to help defend this kingdom as say, a soldier maybe." 

Peach considered his idea as a soldier. He was defiantly skilled and would be a great addition to her army. Peach looked at Samus who shrugged. "He's skilled." 

Peach looked back at him. "Well, I have another idea." 

"Oh, like what?" 

"I would like to make you the very first Royal Guard of my castle." Peach said proudly. "You be by my side to help protect me encase Bowser or any other threat is nearby. I'll give this to Mario and Luigi too. You guys will get along." 

"So, like… a bodyguard?" 

"Exactly!" 

Quirrel nodded his head. "I like it. I will happily defend you, Princess Peach." He bowed after speaking. 

"Please, Quirrel. You work or me but you're my friend first."

"So, a bodyguard." Said Samus. "That's my girlfriend there, so do you're best." She said playfully. 

"Yes of course!" he said excitedly. It had been a while since he felt happy, and it felt good. Quirrel then noticed Grimmchild, now named Smokey. "How has he been?" 

"Been very good. I'm still confused as to why he like me." Said Peach. 

"I think it may have something to do with how the Grimm Troupe is gone." Samus and Peach both looked at him, so he continued. "Maybe without the influence of the Troupe his soul and mind our free. He' no longer a blank vassal for Grimm. He's free in a sense." 

"Maybe…" said Peach. "But if we are wrong and he becomes the next Grimm, will be ready. Also, Quirrel, are you feeling okay?" 

Peach still remembered clearly when Quirrel talked about his attempted suicide, he had wanted to die then, but she hoped he changed. And her hopes were answered because Quirrel knew what she meant. 

"Yes, I'm glad I've found a home here. And I'm glad I've found a purpose again." 

Peach smiled. "Good to hear." 

"Well, I'll be downstairs." Quirrel left Samus and Peach on the balcony and went out to sit on the bench out front. He took in a long deep breath. It was over, Bowser was gone, at least for now, the Grimm Troupe were gone, and he found his purpose in life. He no longer roamed wastelands in search of answers, no longer hated living, he was at a home that welcomed him for him, and he was grateful. 

From the corner of his eye, Quirrel saw Knight walking up to the house. Knight had bandages wrapped around his head to cover the cracks on his shell. No one knew if he would get a new one or maybe it heal in time. Knight waved as he walked up to the bench and sat down next to Quirrel. It was just like when they sat here at night. Except for this time, people were walking down the street, the air of dread and worry had vanished, and Quirrel's questions of Knight leaving him at the Blue Lake at been answered. This time they sat in peaceful silence, content with their lives. 

"So, I imagine you'll be heading back to Hallownest." Said Quirrel. 

Knight looked at him and nodded. 

"Well, I guess this is our last day then…" 

Knight wrote in his book and gave it to Quirrel.

It read:_ I'm glad we got to see each other again._

Quirrel smiled under his mask. "I'm glad too." He handed the book back. 

Together they sat in silence, it reminded them both when they sat together watching the rain pour down on the City of Tears. It was peaceful then, and it was peaceful now. Even if Knight was leaving, it didn't matter, they'd see each other again at some point. 

_Quite the way to end an adventure._ Thought Quirrel. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that was an okay way to end it. I hope you enjoyed this story and thank you for your comments and Kudos.


End file.
